Whatever will be, will be
by Rachelmasonfan25
Summary: An unexpected tragedy leaves Rachel with the responsibility of two young girls, just as she was about to try to have a baby of her own.
1. Chapter 1

**Set about a week after the last episode of series 4. **

Adjusting to life without Eddie hadn't been easy for Rachel. She still loved him but she knew things just couldn't work now that Mel was having his baby.

As always, Rachel's two best friends Angela and Vicky had been there for her and she really didn't know where she'd be without them. The three of them had met in their first year at Manchester university and had remained best friends since.

It was a beautiful summer's evening and Rachel was at Angela's house drinking a glass of wine on her patio.

"How did you get on today?" Angela asked

Rachel hadn't been there for long but Angela wasn't one for beating around the bush and Rachel knew that she'd be wanting to know straight away.

"The chances of me having a baby are very, very slim. I only have one viable egg left" Rachel said sadly

"Oh Rach, I'm so sorry"

"I'm not surprised"

"How were your FSH levels?" Angela asked with expertise because she was a gynaecologist

"High. I really have left this too late"

"Women you're age do have babies"

"It's not looking likely for me though"

"What did your doctor say? You have options right?"

"I'm still going to try IVF with a sperm donor, but my doctor did say to not get my hopes up too high because the chances of me conceiving aren't high" Rachel said

The reality of her situation was making her feel really angry with herself. She always knew she'd wanted children, but the time had never been right and now it was looking like she might never get the chance.

It was Angela and Vicky that had persuaded Rachel to book an appointment with a fertility specialist. Rachel had thought the idea was ridiculous to begin with, but the more she thought about it the more excited she'd become about the idea. If she were to wait for another man to come into her life, she could be waiting forever and time definitely was not on her side.

"Have faith in it Rach, you still have a chance"

"I know, I'm just trying to not get my hopes up" Rachel said as her eyes glassed over with tears

Angela wrapped her arm around Rachel and looked at her in a way Rachel knew exactly what she was trying to say.

Rachel looked at her watch.

"I wonder where Vicky's got to. She said she was on her way a while ago now" Rachel said

"Yeah I'm not sure. I hope she's here soon, I'm starving"

Rachel took a big gulp of wine. She definitely needed it after the week she'd had and now just finding out how unlikely her chances of conceiving a child were.

Angela was about to give Vicky a call when her fourteen year old daughter, Mia, came out into the garden.

"Is Dad on his way home from work yet?" Mia asked

"Not that I know of, hopefully he will be soon though" Angela said to her daughter although really she did not believe that he'd be home soon

Angela's husband, Sam, was a cardiothoracic surgeon so Angela had been used to the long hours he worked. Recently, he'd got a job as head of department and now he was working even more hours and both Angela and Mia were struggling with it.

"Okay, are we eating soon? I'm hungry"

"Yeah Vicky should be here soon"

Mia came over and sat with her Mum and Rachel. Rachel and Vicky were both a big part in Mia's life and were as close as Auntie's to her.

When another half an hour had passed and they still hadn't heard from Vicky, Rachel and Angela were both starting to feel very concerned about her.

Angela's phone started ringing. She grabbed her phone at once and saw that it was Vicky.

"Vicky, where are you? We were worried"

There was silence for a few moments before Vicky spoke.

"I've been in an accident Ang"

Angela's face dropped.

"But you're okay?"

"I need surgery, but hopefully it will go well and I'll be okay"

"What kind of surgery?"

Rachel was trying to work out what was going on from Angela's replies but whatever it was, it didn't sound good.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked as soon as Angela came off the phone

"She's been in an accident. Apparently someone went through a red light and hit into her car. She needs brain surgery, but the surgeon says he's confident the surgery should go well"

"Well that's good" Rachel said struggling to process this information

"She wants us to bring Olivia and Daisy to see her before she goes to surgery"

"Is that a good idea? Is there any need to worry them and make them wait while their Mum has surgery?"

"It's what she wants, she wants to see them just in case"

"But the doctor's confident the surgery is going to go well"

"It's brain surgery though Rach, of course there are risks"

"So Vicky might die?" Mia asked suddenly

Angela had kind of forgotten Mia was there with them.

"Hopefully not darling, but Vicky is going to be having a major surgery on her brain so we just need to be prepared for the worst"

"Can I come to the hospital to see her too?"

"Of course you can. Right we need to pick up the girls and head to the hospital as quickly as we can"

Luckily neither Rachel or Angela had finished their glasses of wine meaning they could both drive.

"We should collect one of them each, that way we can get to them quicker"

Rachel went to get Olivia and Angela and Mia went to get Daisy. Olivia and Daisy were Vicky's eleven and 6 year old daughters. Both of them had been staying at friend's houses for the night which was the reason the three of them had arranged to meet up for the evening.

Angela tried ringing Sam on the way but to no surprise at all he didn't answer. Angela left a voicemail, but had no idea when he would get back to her.

When she got to Olivia's friend's house, Rachel went to knock on the front door.

When Olivia came downstairs she was surprised to see Rachel there.

"Rachel, what are you doing here?"

"I'm afraid I'm here to pick you up"

"Why?"

"Just go upstairs and get your things please Liv"

Olivia was confused, but Rachel seemed very serious so did as she was told.

Olivia came back down with her stuff so Rachel took hold of Olivia's hands.

"I don't want you to worry, but your Mum has been in a car accident so I'm going to take you to the hospital to see her"

"Is she okay?"

"Well she does need surgery but we're hoping she's going to be fine"

Olivia's eyes filled with tears straight away. Her relationship with her Mum hadn't been good recently. They'd been arguing a lot and Olivia just didn't seem to want to be around her Mum at all.

Rachel took Olivia out to the car and they drove to the hospital.

Olivia was silent the whole way just thinking the worst. She'd already lost her Dad, she couldn't lose her Mum as well.

Just over twelve months ago Vicky had lost her husband to cancer. When he was first diagnosed, the doctor's had been confident that he would recover but things took a turn for the worst and he didn't make it.

Vicky's Mum was no longer alive and she didn't speak to her Dad, so without the support of Rachel and Angela she really didn't know what she'd have done.

They found the ward that Vicky was on, but when they got to the doors Olivia stopped and didn't want to go through.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Rachel asked

"I'm scared. I don't like hospitals"

"I know but your Mum just wants to see you before she goes to surgery"

"What if the surgery goes wrong?"

"The doctor's are confident that it's going to go well"

"The doctor's also said they were confident Dad was going to be fine as well" Olivia said with tears in her eyes

"Your Mum needs this surgery Liv or she definitely won't be okay. Before she has it though, she wants to see you. The sooner we go and see her, the sooner she'll be taken to surgery and the sooner they can fix her brain"

"So you promise me it's all going to be okay?"

"I can't promise you that Liv. The doctor's are confident but every surgery has risks. I can promise you that I'll be here for you no matter what though. According to Angela, the surgeon doing your Mum's surgery is the best brain surgeon in the North West so I have every confidence"

"Okay, I'll go and see Mum"

Rachel took hold of Olivia's hand and together they walked to Vicky's bed. Angela, Mia and Daisy were already there.

As soon as she saw her Mum, Olivia ran straight over to her and wrapped her arms around her with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Rachel, Angela and Mia stepped outside to give Vicky a little bit of time alone with her children.

"You girls know that I love you more than anything in the world right?" Vicky said and they both nodded

"You're the most important thing in my life and I just want you to know how proud I am of both of you"

After a little while it was time for Vicky to go to surgery.

Rachel and Angela came into get Daisy and Olivia. Both were reluctant to leave their Mum.

"I love you Mum" Olivia said

It had been a long time since Vicky had heard Olivia say this and it meant so much.

They watched as Vicky was wheeled to surgery and then they decided to go to the cafeteria and get some food.

They bought some food but nobody ate that much.

"Is Mummy going to be back soon?" Daisy asked

"Not for another couple of hours at least" Rachel told her

"Oh, I need a wee"

"Okay, I'll take you" Angela said

Angela took hold of Daisy's hand before going to the toilet with her.

When they returned they decided to go to the relative's room.

Daisy started sucking her thumb. Something she always did when she was tired.

Rachel got Daisy comfy so that her head was resting on her lap and it didn't take long for Daisy to fall asleep.

Mia sat with Olivia and tried to talk to her, but it was obvious that Olivia wasn't in the mood for talking.

Angela came and sat by her daughter and pulled her in for a cuddle.

Mia was still resting against her Mum when the door to the relatives room opened and Sam walked through the door.

"Dad" Mia called before rushing over to give her Dad a hug

Angela stood up and Sam came over and wrapped her arms around his wife and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner. I was in surgery"

"It's okay, you're here now"

Time seemed to be going so slowly.

Rachel had been at this hospital that morning and had not been expecting to be back again tonight. She should have been sat with her two best friends drinking wine while they comforted her about her fertility problems and she should have been comforting Angela about her marriage issues and Vicky about the problems she was having with Olivia.

Instead, they were sat in a hospital waiting room while her best friend had brain surgery.

Hours had passed and the door to the relatives room opened again. This time it was Vicky's surgeon.

Rachel, Angela and Sam stood up at once. By this point Mia and Olivia had also fallen asleep.

By the look on the surgeon's face, the three of them could tell he didn't have good news for them.

"How did it go?" Rachel asked. She couldn't stand the way the surgeon was just looking at them and not saying anything

"I'm afraid to have to tell you that the surgery wasn't a success"

"In what way was it not a success?" Angela asked

"There was a major bleed in Vicky's brain and I'm afraid we couldn't stop it"

"So are you saying that she's passed away?" Sam asked for clarification

"Yes, I'm so sorry but Vicky has passed away"

Angela sank into a chair.

"But you said you were confident the surgery was going to go well" Rachel said angrily

"I was but as I explained there were still risks. And unfortunately the rare complications I explained did occur. We did everything we could"

Rachel sank back into her seat too and took hold of Angela's hand.

They looked into each other's eyes, completely lost for words.

Olivia began to wake up and then the realisation hit them. In the space of just over a year, two young girls had lost both of their parents.

"Is my Mum out of surgery yet?" Olivia asked sleepily

Rachel and Angela just looked at her.

Rachel came and crouched down in front of Olivia.

"Your Mum has passed away" Rachel said simply thinking it was best to get straight to the point

Olivia froze.

"There was a brain on her bleed and they did everything they could, but unfortunately they weren't able to save her"

Olivia's face crumbled before she fell into Rachel's embrace and started crying hysterically.

Olivia's crying woke the other two girls up. Angela crouched down in front of Daisy, just as Rachel had in front of Olivia, and broke the news to the little girl.

**Would love to know what you think x **


	2. Chapter 2

The following morning Rachel was sat in the kitchen with her hands around a cup of coffee that was now cold.

The previous twelve hours had been horrendous. This whole situation didn't feel real at all and Rachel hoped she would wake up from this terrible nightmare sometime soon.

After leaving the hospital Rachel brought Olivia and Daisy back to her house.

Vicky had asked Rachel a while ago if anything were to happen to her if she would take the girls in. It had been a few weeks after Vicky's husband had died so Rachel understood why she was thinking about things like this. Never had Rachel thought that it would actually come to her becoming the legal guardian of Olivia and Daisy.

Angela had offered to stay and help out but Rachel had insisted that she go home and be there for Mia and try and get some rest.

The night had passed slowly and Rachel didn't think she'd got any sleep at all.

She'd been up until at least 4 trying to console two tearful girls. Eventually they had drifted off to sleep and were sleeping now. Rachel just hadn't been able to fall asleep no matter how hard she tried.

Rachel took a sip of her coffee but then realised it was cold so stood up to pour it down the sink.

As she did she saw Angela stood on the other side of the French doors that lead into the kitchen.

Rachel unlocked the doors and let her best friend in.

"I thought I'd come to the back and see if you were awake"

"I haven't slept" Rachel told Angela

"Me neither. How are the girls?"

"Sleeping. It was a long night but I think they went to sleep around four"

"I can't believe they're having to go through this all over again. Losing one parent is bad enough, but two just seems so cruel"

"I know, life is so unfair sometimes"

Rachel made a fresh coffee for herself and one for Angela. Angela only lived next door so the pair of them were constantly nipping over to each other's houses.

"What if I can't look after them properly Ang? What if I let them down?" Rachel said. These were the thoughts that had been running through her mind all night. She couldn't help but feel not good enough to take on the role. She'd never been a mother before and was worried she wasn't going to be very good at it.

"You don't need to worry. You know you're going to try and do what's best by those girls and that's all that Vicky would ever of asked of you"

"I have no experience, I don't have children"

"Rach you've got about 600 of them"

"That's different. I'm just their teacher"

"You know you're so much more to them than just a teacher. I'll be here to help out too, you're not going to have to do this alone"

After Angela's reassurance their conversation turned to talking about memories of Vicky, especially the times they'd shared at university.

They were both crying as they remembered all of the happy times they shared.

Meanwhile, upstairs Olivia was wide awake. She had been for a while now but she didn't want to get out of bed.

She'd stayed at Rachel's house before, but this felt different. She didn't feel like she belonged there and just wanted to be in her own house cuddled up with her Mum.

It felt stupid, but she felt scared to get out of bed even to go to the loo. Instead she stayed under the covers as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Olivia wondered if she should go and check on Daisy. She couldn't though because she was crying too much.

Olivia was still lying in bed crying when the door to the bedroom she'd slept in opened and Rachel walked in. Olivia closed her eyes quickly, but she hadn't been quick enough for Rachel to not see.

Rachel walked over to the bed and sat down next to Olivia. She could tell Olivia was crying.

Olivia was trying her hardest not to, but she couldn't help but let a sniffle out.

"It's okay darling, it's all going to be okay" Rachel said as she stroked Olivia's back

Olivia opened her eyes but still stayed facing away from Rachel

Rachel hated seeing Olivia so upset but didn't know what to do to make her feel better.

"It's going to get better you know" Rachel said whilst tucking some hair behind Olivia's ear

"I want to go back to sleep"

"Okay, I'll leave you to it. You know where I am if you want anything"

Rachel knew Olivia was going to start crying again as soon as she left. She wanted to be able to comfort her, but if she wanted space then that's what Rachel would do.

Rachel then went to her own bedroom where Daisy had ended up falling asleep. Daisy was still fast asleep so Rachel went back downstairs to Angela.

"How's Mia?" Rachel asked as Mia was really close with Vicky

"She's upset. She ended up sleeping in with me and Sam slept in the spare bedroom. When I left she was still asleep but I expect she's awake by now"

"I'll let you get back to her"

"Yeah I probably should. Sam's already left for work so she's over there on her own. I'll come back later though and you just call if you need anything"

"I will, see you later Ang"

After Angela left Rachel didn't know what to do with herself. She felt like she needed to get out of the house but knew she couldn't do that with Olivia and Daisy upstairs.

In the end she ended up finding some photo albums from her university days and having a look through them. Looking at the photos felt so bittersweet. There were so many precious memories but now looking at them just made Rachel feel sad because Vicky was gone.

Rachel was so preoccupied with the photos that she didn't hear Daisy walk into the kitchen.

"Rachel"

Rachel looked up and saw Daisy. Her face was puffy from crying.

"Good morning sweetheart, do you want to come over for a cuddle?"

Daisy nodded before going and climbing onto Rachel's lap.

"You've had a nice lie in, it's nearly eleven o clock"

"I'm hungry"

"That's good, I'll make you some breakfast. What would you like?"

"Please can I have some toast?"

"Of course you can. You sit there and I'll get you some"

Rachel got some bread out of the bread bin before putting it into the toaster.

"What would you like on your toast?"

"Can I have Nutella?"

"You certainly can"

"Mummy didn't let me have Nutella on my toast very often"

"It is a special treat but I think you deserve it today"

Once Rachel had made Daisy's toast she gave it to her before sitting at the table with her.

"Rachel you know Mummy is in heaven now?"

"Yes"

"Well Daddy is in heaven too so do you think they are together in heaven?"

"Definitely"

"That's good, at least Daddy won't be lonely anymore"

A lump formed in Rachel's throat. She was just glad that Daisy was talking about what had happened, unlike Olivia.

"Where's Olivia?"

"She's in bed still"

Daisy ate her toast before climbing back onto Rachel's lap.

"I want Mummy" Daisy said as she started to cry

"I want her too. I know my cuddles aren't as good as Mummy's but hopefully it will make you feel a bit better"

"Your cuddles are good"

"I'm glad you think so"

Daisy stayed snuggled into Rachel for a while before pulling away.

"Please can I get dressed?"

"Of course you can, would you like me to help you?"

"No it's okay"

Daisy ran off upstairs.

Rachel suddenly thought about collecting more of Daisy and Olivia's stuff. They each had an overnight bag that they'd packed as they were meant to have stayed at their friend's houses last night, but that was it.

She didn't know whether it was best to go alone or bring the girls with her. She decided to give them the choice.

Rachel went upstairs and into Olivia's room.

The curtains were still closed and Olivia was still lying in bed.

"Liv, are you awake?" Rachel asked quietly

"Yes"

"We need to get some of your stuff. Would you like to come or would you rather stay here?"

"Stay here"

"Okay that's fine. I'm going to go in a minute but I'll ask Angela to come over while I'm gone"

"Okay"

"Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

"No I'm fine"

Rachel left her to it again. She really did hope that she would get out of bed soon.

Rachel then asked Daisy who said that she wanted to come.

Angela came over about half an hour later so that Rachel could go with Daisy to Vicky's house.

"Olivia's still in bed, but I'm hoping she's going to get up soon"

"Okay. Are you sure you don't want me to go?"

"I'll go, I need to get out for a bit"

"See you in a bit then"

Rachel left with Daisy so Angela had a look through the photo albums that were still out on the kitchen table.

While she was sat there she also cancelled the holiday she was meant to be going on next week with Sam and Mia. They were going to Antigua for two weeks but that was the last thing she wanted to do now. Angela knew that Mia would be upset about not going, but also knew that she would understand.

About an hour later Rachel returned with some stuff for the girls.

Daisy had packed some of her toys so went into the lounge and played with them.

"That was tough" Rachel said

"I should have gone with you"

"It's okay, one of us needed to be here for Liv. Did she come down?"

"No. I did go upstairs to check on her once but I think she just wanted to be left alone"

"I'm getting worried about her, I don't know how to get her out of bed"

"I could get Mia to come over and watch a film with her. Olivia loves spending time with Mia so that might make her feel a bit better"

"It's worth a shot"

Rachel went upstairs and found Olivia crying her heart out in bed.

"Oh Liv" Rachel said before rushing over and pulling the girl into her arms

"I want my Mum"

"I know you do, I want her too" Rachel said with tears in her own eyes

Rachel held Olivia whilst she cried.

"I'm sorry" Olivia cried

"What are you sorry for?"

"For crying"

"You don't need to be sorry for that. Have a big cry, let it all out"

"It's not fair" Olivia said after a while

"I know it's not. Life can be so unfair sometimes but you're going to get through this"

"Both of my parents are dead"

"I'm here for you Liv and so is Angela. I know living without your parents seems unimaginably hard but things are going to get easier"

"So are me and Daisy living here with you now?"

"As long as you're happy with that" Rachel said and Olivia nodded

"I think you might feel a bit better if you get out of bed and come downstairs"

"Okay"

"How about having a shower? Or I could run you a bath?"

"I'll just have a shower"

"Okay love. Angela said Mia would like to come over and watch a film with you, do you fancy that after your shower?"

"If she wants to"

Olivia didn't really care. She didn't feel like doing anything at the moment but decided to get up and come downstairs for Daisy's sake.

Rachel left Olivia to have a shower before telling Angela that Olivia had agreed to watch a film. Rachel was pleased Olivia was finally up and opening up a bit about how she was feeling.

"Okay I'll go and get her. I also need to tell her I cancelled the holiday"

"Why did you cancel the holiday?"

"It was the right thing to do, we wouldn't have enjoyed it. The funeral's going to be around then too"

"It's such a shame"

"We can book another. Maybe towards the end of summer we could book a last minute thing and go away all together"

"Yeah it would be good for Liv and Daisy to get away at some point this summer. It's the last thing I can think about right now though"

Angela went home to get Mia so Rachel put a load of washing on. It was the last thing she felt like doing, but she needed to keep on top of everything.

A little while later Angela returned with Mia.

"I don't think Olivia will be too much longer now"

"Okay"

Mia's face too looked red and puffy making it obvious she'd been crying.

Olivia came into the kitchen a few minutes later.

"Can I get you something to eat love?"

"I'm not hungry"

"It would be good to eat something"

"I'll have something later"

"Okay"

Mia and Olivia went into the lounge.

Mia had brought over a few DVDs for Olivia to choose from, but Olivia said Mia could decide. In the end Mia went for Wild Child, one of their favourites.

While Mia and Olivia watched the film, Daisy stayed glued to Rachel.

After an hour, Rachel went into the lounge with Daisy on her hip. When she did she saw Olivia and Mia had both fallen asleep on the sofas. She was glad, thinking it would do them both good.

"They're both asleep" Rachel told Angela when she went back into the kitchen

"That's good"

"I'm tired too" Daisy said

"Do you want to go upstairs and have a little nap?" Rachel asked and Daisy nodded

Rachel took her upstairs and got her comfy in the room that would now be Daisy's. Rachel wanted to decorate the girl's rooms as soon as possible to make them more homely for them and so they felt like theirs.

Rachel went back downstairs and sat with Angela.

"You're doing a really good job Rach"

"I'm not so sure"

"Believe me, you are. You're there for them which is exactly what they need right now"

"Thanks for all your help today Ang. I'm not expecting you to have to spend all your time here you know"

"I know. I want to help though. Why don't you and the girls come over to ours for dinner tonight?"

"That would be nice"

"I'm going to go home and make a start on it. Will you tell Mia I've gone when she wakes up"

"Of course"

"See you later Rach"

Angela disappeared leaving Rachel alone in the kitchen.

Rachel couldn't believe she'd lost one of her best friends but was so grateful she still had the other one. They had both been like family to Rachel.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews! Also really sorry for taking so long to getting round to updating again. Hope you enjoy the next chapter! **

**6 weeks later**

It was the first day back at school for the pupils of Waterloo Road after the summer holidays.

A lot of changes were ahead for the school because Waterloo Road was merging with John Foster's. Rachel was really hoping that the changes would have a positive outcome for the pupils, the ones that mattered most.

The summer had been a tough one and Rachel was looking forward to getting back into a routine.

Rachel had showered, dressed and was about to go and wake Olivia up.

Despite the unimaginable circumstances that Olivia had found herself in 6 weeks ago it seemed as though she was fairly happy again. She was currently having counselling which seemed to be helping a lot.

At the end of the summer holidays Angela and Rachel had taken Mia, Olivia and Daisy away for a week to Majorca. The time away had really helped both Olivia and Daisy.

When Rachel opened the door to Olivia's bedroom she was surprised to find her already awake.

"I wasn't expecting you to be awake yet"

"I set an alarm" Olivia lied

The truth was she'd had a terrible nights sleep because she was so worried about starting school today. It had taken Olivia ages to get to sleep and even when she had she kept waking up through the night. She hadn't been asleep now since about 6.

"Well done love, ten minutes and you need to get up"

"Okay"

"Mia's going to come over at about 8 so make sure you're ready by then" Rachel said

Rachel had asked Mia if she would walk with Olivia to school on the first day as she was hoping it might calm Olivia's nerves.

"Rachel I don't feel that well"

Rachel knew that Olivia was a bit nervous about starting at Waterloo Road as a year 7 but didn't realise quite how nervous she actually was.

"What's up?"

"I have a headache and I feel sick"

"It's probably because you're a bit nervous, don't worry though once you get to school and you're with your friends you'll realise there's nothing to worry about"

"I feel sick though, what if I'm sick at school?"

"I'm sure you won't be, I'm sure it's just nerves"

"It might not be, maybe I shouldn't go to school"

Rachel went and sat by Olivia on her bed.

"I tell you what then, how about you give school a go and I'll write a note that you can give to your teacher if you start to feel really unwell giving you permission to come and see me and then I'll take you home. Okay?"

"Okay" Olivia replied sounding a bit tearful

"It's going to be okay, I promise you" Rachel said before gently touching Olivia's cheek and getting up again

As soon as Rachel left Olivia burst into tears. The thought of going to school was panicking her so much and she was dreading going in.

Rachel wasn't giving her much choice though so she got out of bed and went into the bathroom.

Olivia hadn't seen any of her friends since her Mum had died so she was also nervous about seeing them all again. She hadn't even seen her best friend Molly. Molly had text her loads over the summer asking to meet up but Olivia had said no every time. Now Olivia was worried that Molly wouldn't want to be friends anymore and she'd end up with no friends at all.

After leaving Olivia's bedroom Rachel went back to her bedroom and did her hair and makeup before going to wake Daisy up.

She felt bad waking her when she looked so peaceful. Although Daisy was a lot happier in herself Rachel was still having quite a lot of problems with her at night. She was having nightmares nearly every night and wetting the bed quite a lot too.

Rachel had been up with her a few times in the night so she knew that Daisy was going to be tired at school today. Through the holidays Rachel had been letting her have an afternoon nap because she'd been so tired from not sleeping through the night but now she was realising that probably wasn't the best idea because she wouldn't be able to have a nap when she was at school.

Rachel crouched down beside Daisy's bed and gently shook her awake. Daisy opened her eyes and slowly sat up in bed before having a big stretch.

"I'm sorry to wake you when you looked so comfortable but you need to get up and get ready for school"

Daisy leant against Rachel sleepily and didn't say anything.

Unlike Olivia, Daisy was looking forward to going to school today. She was going into year 1 and had loved her first year of school when she was in reception.

After a couple of minutes Daisy was much more awake.

"Right go to the bathroom and clean your teeth and wash your face and then we'll get you dressed"

Once Daisy was sorted Rachel went to pack her bag. She realised she hadn't even had a coffee this morning and was absolutely gasping for one but she didn't have time now.

Rachel checked her phone and couldn't believe it when she saw she had another text from Eddie wishing her good luck on the first day back to school.

Eddie and Rachel were texting a lot at the beginning of the holidays but Rachel told him he had to stop because she was finding it really hard to move on. Eddie still kept sending the occasional text though and Rachel had decided to ignore them.

After packing her bag Rachel shouted Olivia down for breakfast.

"Let's take some back to school photos quickly"

This was something Vicky did every year and Rachel wanted to keep the tradition.

After taking some photos of the girls Rachel got some breakfast for Olivia.

"Right, I'm going to go now and drop Daisy at breakfast club and then go to school" Rachel said once she'd got a bagel for Olivia

"Okay"

"I showed you where my office is yesterday so just come up there at the end of the day"

"I still feel sick Rachel" Olivia said desperately trying to get out of going to school

"I've written you a note" Rachel said before passing it to Olivia

"Thank you"

Rachel wrapped her arms around Olivia to give her a quick hug before leaving.

"You're going to have a great day, I'm sure of it"

Rachel went to pull away but Olivia still had her arms wrapped tightly around her so she stayed cuddling her for a few moments longer.

About ten minutes after Rachel and Daisy had left Mia turned up.

"Are you excited to start at Waterloo Road?" Mia asked

"Not really"

"You'll love it once you get there"

"I wish I was still at primary school"

"I was a bit nervous before I started too but then I realised that being at Waterloo Road was so much better than being at Primary school. You get loads more freedom and you can buy pizza in the canteen. Who's your form tutor?"

"Miss Haydock"

"She's lovely and a right laugh, you'll get away with loads with her"

"She seemed strict on induction day"

"She was only pretending, trust me she's not one bit strict. Right, shall we get going then?"

"Okay" Olivia said but the closer it was to being at school the more panicky Olivia was getting

Olivia put her plate in the dishwasher before picking up her bag.

As they walked to the front door Olivia could feel her heartbeat getting faster and faster and she was feeling really hot and dizzy.

"I don't want to go Mia, I feel sick" Olivia said suddenly as they were about to go out of the front door

"You'll be okay, it's probably just nerves" Mia replied as she turned around

"No I really don't feel very well" Olivia said as she was starting to struggle to breathe

Mia noticed how pale she'd gone so lead her back inside and sat her down on the stairs

"How are you feeling now?"

"I can't breathe" Olivia said panicking

"Try and take some deep breaths" Mia said before grabbing her phone and ringing Rachel

Mia thought that Olivia was having another panic attack as she'd seen her have one before over the summer.

Mia was so relieved when Rachel answered the phone.

"Rachel, I think Olivia's having another panic attack. I don't know what to do"

"Pass the phone to her and I'll speak to her"

Mia passed the phone to Olivia who was now starting to hyperventilate.

Rachel talked to her through the phone and told her to take deep breaths.

"Remember your breathing techniques Liv, breathe in for 7 and out to 11"

Olivia wasn't listening properly to her and was still hyperventilating.

Mia took the phone back off of Olivia.

"Right I'm coming home now Mia. Don't panic just try and get Olivia to do her 7-11 breathing. I'll be as quick as I can" Rachel said as she sat in the car at Daisy's primary school

Mia crouched down in front of Olivia.

"Breathe with me Liv, it's going to make you feel better. Come on in 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 and out 8-9-10-11"

Mia did this a few times and Olivia started to do it too.

After a few minutes of 7-11 breathing Olivia calmed down and her breathing returned to normal. Olivia burst into tears so Mia sat down next to her and pulled her in for a side hug.

"I'm sorry"

"Hey you don't need to be sorry, it isn't your fault"

"Do you want me to get you some water?"

"Yes please"

Mia went and got Olivia a glass of water. Olivia was sipping it slowly when Rachel turned up.

Rachel rushed straight over to Olivia and pulled her in for a hug.

"How are you feeling now Liv?" Rachel asked

"Better now but I felt awful before. It was worse than the others, I thought I was going to faint"

Olivia had had a few panic attacks over the summer but this was the first time Rachel hadn't been there to calm her down.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here sweetheart. If I'd realised you were this nervous about going to school I never would have left you"

"I don't know why I'm so nervous but I really don't want to go to school"

"It's okay love. I'm sure everyone starting today is nervous too. You've been through so much this summer though so I think it's making it that bit harder for you"

"I used to enjoy primary school"

"I know you did and you're going to enjoy Waterloo Road too. If you're really nervous though I'm not going to force you to go to your lessons today if it's going to make you ill"

"Really?"

"Really. But I still want you to come to school, but you can spend the day in my office if you need to. Just see how you feel when we get there, okay?"

"Okay" Olivia said feeling a lot better

"Come on, I really need to get to school now so in the car girls"

"Sorry for making you late" Olivia said starting to feel bad

"You don't need to say sorry"

Olivia still had butterflies about going but she didn't feel anywhere near as nervous as she had before knowing that she could just stay in Rachel's office for the day if she wanted to.

When they got to school Rachel went up to her office with Mia and Olivia.

Rachel did a couple of things that she needed to but knew that the pupils would be arriving soon so she wanted to go outside to greet them.

"I'm going to go and meet my friends now Rachel" Mia said

"Okay, thank you so much for this morning" Rachel replied

"I didn't really do anything"

"You were great with Liv, you really were"

"Hope you have a good day Liv, you can come and see me at break or lunch if you fancy it"

"Thank you"

"Right, what are you going to do now? Go and see your friends or stay up here?" Rachel asked

"If I don't go to school today it will just make things worse won't it" Olivia said

"I'm afraid so. School is something you have no choice about and I think if you go to your lessons today you'll realise you have nothing to worry about. But equally if you don't want to go today, we can set you up with some help to ease you into lessons"

"I think I'll go today because otherwise I'll just be worrying about when I do have to go to lessons"

"That's very grown up of you to say. Well done love"

Rachel went out to the playground with Olivia where she spotted Molly and a few of her other friends from her primary school.

"Molly's over there"

"Okay, do you want to go over?"

"Okay"

"Well, you know where I am if you want me and you have your note"

"Bye Rachel"

"Bye Liv"

Rachel was relieved that Olivia had gone over to her friends and really hoped that her day at school would be okay.

Rachel started welcoming pupils as they arrived. She recognised a lot of the faces but due to the merger there were a lot more pupils to get to know than just the new year sevens.

It was a fresh start and Rachel was ready to get stuck in and making the merger work.

**Please review x **


	4. Chapter 4

Waterloo Road had been back at school for about a week now.

Despite her anxiety about starting, Olivia had settled in really well and was enjoying it. She'd made quite a few new friends and had adjusted really well to the change.

It was a Friday and Rachel was really excited for the weekend.

She was having a particularly stressful day. Although all of her days had been stressful since the new term had started due to the presence of Max Tyler, the executive head teacher today had been especially bad.

Rachel didn't understand why he had to spend all of his time at Waterloo Road when he had other schools to oversee too. The more time Rachel was spending with the man the more she was starting to dislike him.

As soon as the bell rang on Friday Rachel packed up her things and headed to the car. Rachel had decided to only work on a Friday after the bell went if she really had to. She knew she had a bit of work she would have to do over the weekend but that could wait. Right now she just wanted to collect Daisy from school and get home.

Rachel left her office and went to the car where Olivia was there waiting for her.

"Hiya love, how was your day?" Rachel asked as they got into the car

"It was good thanks, I have quite a bit of homework to get done over the weekend though"

"I've got some work to do too so how about we put a bit of time aside on Sunday and get it done together?"

"That sounds good. Do we have any plans tomorrow?"

"Daisy's been begging me all week to take her swimming so I guess I'll have to do that tomorrow afternoon. Do you fancy coming too?"

"Yeah, can we go to the one with all the good slides?"

"You'll have to tell me which one that is but I'm sure we can"

"Okay"

"You could invite one of your friends to come too if you like"

"Maybe, I'll think about it"

"You've got gymnastics in the morning don't you?"

"Yeah I think it starts at 10"

"Okay"

Olivia had decided to start doing gymnastics again which Rachel was really pleased about. She used to love it but had stopped doing it after her Dad died because she'd lost a lot of confidence.

Rachel hadn't even mentioned her starting again but one of the girls she used to go with was in her tutor group and had persuaded her to start again.

Daisy's primary school wasn't far from Waterloo Road so it didn't take long for them to get there.

"Do you want to wait in the car love?" Rachel asked as it was pouring down with rain

"Yes please if you don't mind"

"Of course not, hopefully they'll be out soon"

"Can I go on your phone while you're gone?"

"What's wrong with yours?"

"It's run out of battery"

"Okay then"

Rachel passed her phone to Olivia and then got out of the car and put her umbrella up before walking to the playground.

Luckily just as she got there Daisy's classroom door opened and her class teacher started letting them out.

Daisy was one of the last to appear at the door. She soon spotted Rachel though and came running straight over.

"Let's get to the car quickly, this weather is miserable isn't it?"

"We had to stay in our classroom at lunchtime because it was raining so much"

Rachel ran back to the car as quickly as she could with Daisy and got her in.

"So how was your day at school?" Rachel asked Daisy once they were in the dry

"Good. Friday is my favourite day because we get to have golden time"

"What did you do in golden time?"

"I did some drawing with Lucy"

"That sounds like fun. Right let's get home and get all cosy inside"

"Can we watch a film?"

"That's a good idea"

Rachel started driving home but then remembered that she'd left her laptop charger at work. She knew she was going to have to go back and get it as she would definitely need it over the weekend.

When they got to a roundabout Rachel went all the way around and started driving back the way they'd just come from.

"Sorry girls, I've left my laptop charger at school so I'm going to have to go back"

Rachel was expecting Olivia to moan about this but she just stayed quiet and didn't say anything.

When Rachel drove into the school car park she was relieved to see that Max's car had gone. He was the last person she wanted to see right now when she was ready for a weekend away from him.

Rachel went up to her office and grabbed her laptop charger quickly before heading down again.

She was surprised when she saw Lexie Edwards, a year 11 pupil waling through the corridor.

"Lexie, what are you still doing here?"

"I stayed behind after class to help Mr Mead clear up from our practical"

"That was very nice of you, haven't you got something you'd rather be doing on a Friday though?"

"Not really. It was a right mess everywhere so I was happy to help"

"Has Mr Mead gone now?"

"Yeah he just left"

"Right, well is your Mum picking you up? It's chucking it down outside"

"No I think she's at work"

"Let me give you a lift then or you're going to get soaked"

"It's okay, you don't have to do that"

"I can't have you catching a cold and having to miss school now can I? Come on, it won't take me long"

"Honestly miss it's fine, I don't live far from here" Lexie said before flouncing off with tears in her eyes

The tears in Lexie's eyes didn't go unnoticed by Rachel.

Rachel tried to catch up with the girl but she'd run off. She was starting to get a bit concerned about Lexie.

Lexie seemed to spend as long as possible at school everyday. Rachel had seen her on quite a few occasions at school long before most students arrived and after they'd left.

Rachel decided to bring Lexie up to her office on Monday for a chat to see if she could find out what was wrong.

When Rachel returned to the car Olivia was looking out of the window and in her own little world.

"You were gone ages Rachel" Daisy said

"Sorry love, I got stuck talking to someone. Right we really are going home now"

Rachel tried talking to Olivia on the way home but kept getting one word answers. She'd seemed fine before so Rachel wondered what was wrong.

When they got home the three of them all went upstairs to get changed.

Rachel changed out of her work clothes into something a bit comfier before going to get the girls uniforms to put them in the wash.

She went to get Daisy's first before going over to Olivia's bedroom.

Rachel knocked on the door which was shut.

"Yeah" Olivia called so Rachel opened the door and went in

"I'm going to put some washing on, can I have your school uniform please?"

Olivia gathered all of her uniform up before passing it to Rachel.

"Is everything okay? You've gone a bit quiet"

"Yeah everything's fine"

"Daisy wants to put a film on, are you coming down to join us?"

"I'll just stop up here for a bit"

"Okay, well you know where I am if you want me or if you want to talk about something"

"Yep"

Rachel left her to it and went and put the washing on before going into the lounge with Daisy.

"What film are we watching?" Rachel asked

"Can we watch Annie?" Daisy replied

"I love that film. I think I have the DVD here as it goes"

"It's okay, it's on Netflix"

Daisy put Annie on.

Rachel assumed she meant the original Annie, but she actually wanted to watch the new one which Rachel hadn't even thought about.

"I haven't seen this version of Annie before, I love the original one though"

"The new one is really good"

Rachel decided to get on with some ironing while the film was on.

While it was on she heard Olivia come downstairs into the kitchen, presumably to get a drink or something to eat, but then she just went upstairs again without coming into the lounge.

She wasn't expecting to but Rachel was actually really enjoying the new Annie film.

"Shall we pause this and go and make the pizzas?" Rachel suggested

"Yes I'm getting hungry"

"Okay then, do you want to go and get your sister?"

Daisy went upstairs and Rachel went into the kitchen to start getting everything out.

She's bought the bases this time to make it a bit easier.

Daisy soon came back down to the kitchen but there was no sign of Olivia.

"Where's Liv?"

"She's staying upstairs, she said I can make hers for her"

"I thought Liv was excited to make a pizza, I'll just go and check she definitely doesn't want to. Do you want to wash your hands and put on an apron while I'm gone?"

Rachel went upstairs to try and persuade Olivia to come down. It was her idea to make the pizzas in the first place so Rachel was wondering what she was upset about to make her not want to do it anymore.

When Rachel went into Olivia's bedroom it was obvious she'd been crying from the red rings around her eyes.

Olivia was on her bed so Rachel went and sat down next to her.

"You want to talk to me about what's up?"

"There's nothing, I'm fine"

"You don't have to pretend you're okay, when you're not you know. Are you missing your Mum?"

"No I'm not"

"It's okay if you are"

"I said I'm not" Olivia snapped

"You don't have to tell me what's wrong if you don't want to, but you know I'm here if you do want to don't you?"

"Why do you care if I'm upset?" Olivia asked with fresh tears in her eyes

"What are you talking about? Of course I care"

"You're not my Mum so it's not your problem if I'm upset"

"Hey I know I'm not your Mum. But I still care just as much. I hate seeing you upset and I want to be here for you"

"You don't want to look after me and Daisy, you want a baby of your own" Olivia said angrily. She'd allowed herself to trust Rachel and thought she actually intended to look after her and Daisy long term but now she realised this wasn't the case at all

"What makes you think I want to have a baby?"

"You had a text reminding you about your IVF appointment on Monday"

Rachel had completely forgotten about that.

"I'm not going to that appointment. But even if I did want a baby, why does that mean I don't want to look after you and Daisy?"

"You just wouldn't, would you? You'd have a baby so then you'd probably want to send us to live with Grandma and Grandad or put us into care or something" Olivia said sounding really upset

"Hey that's rubbish. Of course I wouldn't. You and Daisy both mean so much to me and I want to be here for you and support you as much as I can"

"But why would you want us if you had a baby of your own?"

"Right, I have no intention of having a baby anymore. I desperately wanted a baby but that was before… well that was before your Mum passed away. Things are different now. I have you two and I promise you you're my main priority now so I don't want a baby anymore" Rachel said truthfully

"Really?"

"Really"

"But even if I were to have a baby, I'd still want you. I promise I want to look after and be there for you"

Rachel pulled Olivia into her chest and let her have a big cry. She was so glad that Olivia had told her what was wrong and hadn't kept it bottled up inside.

After a little while Olivia calmed down.

"I'm sorry for shouting at you" Olivia said

"Hey it's okay, I understand that you were angry. I'm going to cancel the appointment on Monday though, I really don't want a baby anymore"

"You can still have one if you want one. I love babies"

"Trust me love, it's not what I want now"

Olivia was still enjoying her cuddle with Rachel when Daisy appeared in Olivia's bedroom.

"What are you doing Rachel? I thought we were making the pizzas now"

"We are, sorry I'm coming now. Are you coming down too Liv?"

"Yeah I'm coming"

"Why are you crying Liv?"

"I'm not, I'm fine"

"You look like you're crying"

"Olivia was a little bit upset but she's fine now, don't worry" Rachel said stepping in

"Why was she upset?"

"Nothing for you to worry about, come on let's get these pizzas made I'm starving"

They went downstairs and Rachel got the bases out and gave the girls the sauce to put on.

"What toppings do you want?" Rachel asked

"Ham and pineapple please" Olivia said

"I want ham, sweetcorn, chicken and peppers" Daisy said

They had a nice time making their pizzas together. Once they were done Rachel put them into the oven before pouring herself a large glass of wine. She really felt like she needed it after the week that she'd just had.

After eating their pizzas they went into the lounge to relax for the evening.

"Shall we put on a different film seeing as we're half way through this one and Liv wasn't watching it before"

"I want to finish watching Annie though" Daisy said

"It's okay I'm happy to watch it. I really like it"

"If you're sure"

Rachel sat on the sofa in the middle of Daisy and Olivia. They both cuddled into her and Rachel felt so happy sitting there with them. She really felt like she'd grown close to both of them.

After Annie had finished Rachel took Daisy upstairs to bed.

Daisy was definitely getting better with night time.

She was having a lot less nightmares and wetting the bed a lot less. She was even sleeping right through some nights.

"Please can I sleep in your bed tonight Rachel?"

"Not tonight love"

"What if I can't get to sleep?"

"I'm sure you can because you're very tired after a busy week at school. If you can't though come downstairs and tell me"

"Okay" Daisy said before climbing into bed

Rachel tucked her in and sat down next to her.

"Goodnight sweetheart, hope you sleep well" Rachel said before placing a kiss on the top of Daisy's head

"Goodnight Rachel"

Daisy was lying on her side but still had her eyes wide open.

"Close your eyes, you won't be able to get to sleep if your eyes are open will you?"

Daisy did as Rachel said.

Rachel stayed there for a few minutes rubbing Daisy's back. By the time she left Daisy was nearly asleep.

When she went back downstairs Olivia was sat on the sofa on her phone.

"Can we watch some more Grey's Anatomy?" Olivia asked as they'd watched a couple of episodes the night before

"Sounds good to me"

"I might put my pyjamas on first"

"Do you know what I think I might do the same"

Once Rachel and Olivia had changed into their pyjamas they came downstairs and watched Grey's Anatomy.

"Rachel can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can"

"Actually it doesn't matter"

"Go on, what was it you wanted to ask?"

"Well I was just wondering how you were going to have a baby when you know you're not with Eddie anymore"

Rachel thought for a few moments about the best way to explain this to Olivia.

"A couple of months ago I really wanted a baby and when I split up with Eddie I realised it would probably be a long time before I found another man I wanted to have a baby with, if I found one at all that is. And I'm 39 now and the older you get the harder it is to have a baby, so I decided I'd try to have a baby without a man by using a sperm donor"

"So would you of known who the Dad was?"

"I would've known details about him but I wouldn't of met him and he wouldn't have had any involvement in the baby's life"

Rachel and Olivia ended up speaking about it for a little while. Rachel was trying to be as honest and open with Olivia as she could be hoping that it would encourage Olivia to be open with her as well.

"Sorry for asking so many questions"

"I don't mind, you can ask me as many questions as you like"

Olivia really enjoyed her evening with Rachel. She always did love spending time when it was just the two of them.

Olivia went up to bed at about 10.

Rachel decided to go to bed then too as it had been a busy week and she was really tired after it.

The next morning Rachel was woken up at about 7 by Daisy coming into her bed.

"Morning love, how did you sleep?"

"Good, I didn't wake up all night" Daisy said proudly

That was the third night in a row that Daisy hadn't woken up during the night and Rachel was really appreciating the proper sleeps. Of course she didn't mind getting up with Daisy during the night one bit but the lack of sleep had certainly been taking its toll on Rachel.

"I know darling. Let's stay in bed and have a long cuddle shall we, seeing as it's Saturday?"

"Are we still going swimming today?"

"Yes we'll go this afternoon. Liv's going to gymnastics this afternoon so we'll go after lunch"

Rachel stayed in bed for a bit longer with Daisy before the two of them went downstairs so Rachel could get a coffee. Eddie always used to bring her a coffee in bed on a Saturday morning which was something she really missed.

**Please review xx **


	5. Chapter 5

**This is based on the episode with the ethanol in series 5 but I can't remember the details of the episode. **

The weekend passed much too quickly for Rachel's liking.

Normally coming into school on a Monday after the weekend wasn't something Rachel dreaded. Today felt like a very different Monday though as she drove through the school gates. Max was making Waterloo Road a completely different place for Rachel and she hated it.

Rachel parked the car and turned off the engine and was just sat there in her own little world for a while.

"Rach" Olivia said after saying goodbye to Rachel who didn't reply

"Sorry love what did you say? I was in my own little world"

"I was just saying bye, that's all"

"Bye girls, hope you both have a good day" Rachel said to Olivia and Mia

Olivia and Mia both got out of the car and went off to find their friends.

Rachel got out of the car and slowly made her way into school.

As she walked in she bumped into Kim. They both started walking up to her office.

They chatted for a bit about the progress with Lindsey and Emily. It was then that Rachel remembered she wanted to speak to Lexie today after Friday.

"Kim have you had any encounters with Lexie Edwards recently?"

"No I can't say I have. Why?"

"I've seen her spending a lot of time in school outside of school hours recently and then I spoke her after school on Friday and she started crying but ran off before I got chance to find out what was wrong"

"I know a few years ago Lexie was nearly put into care because of neglect but as far as I was aware her Mum had got a lot better and the case was dropped"

"Is her Dad on the scene?"

"Not that I'm aware of"

"Right well I'm going to bring her up for a chat today"

"I can do that if you like"

"No it's okay, I'll speak to her" Rachel said as she'd always thought Lexie was such a nice girl and wanted to help her herself

"Okay well let me know how it goes"

"I will do Kim"

After the bell went Max then turned up at the office and they fell into an uncomfortable silence.

Max got his things out ready to do some work.

Rachel didn't fancy spending any time with Max at the moment so decided to go and speak to her now.

Steph was Lexie's form tutor so Rachel made her way to Steph's classroom.

Rachel knocked on the door to Steph's classroom before going in.

"Can I have a quick word with Lexie Edwards please Miss Haydock?"

Lexie looked up and started feeling anxious at the mention of her name. She stood up immediately to find out what Miss Mason wanted.

"Shall I bring my bag Miss?"

"Yes probably a good idea"

Lexie picked up her bag before leaving the classroom with Rachel.

Rachel noticed that Lexie wasn't wearing any makeup which was unusual for her. Lexie always wore her makeup naturally but it was definitely noticeable that she wasn't wearing any at all. Her hair also looked as though it hadn't been washed in a few days which again was unusual for Lexie.

"Am I in trouble miss?" Lexie asked sounding nervous

"No, no not at all. I just want a quick chat that's all. Shall we have a wander outside seeing as it's not raining?"

"Okay" Lexie said wondering why her headteacher had pulled her out for a chat

Lexie really looked up to Rachel and always loved it whenever she spoke to her and her friends. She'd often ask about things related to school and give them advice.

"So did you have a good weekend?" Rachel asked as they walked out into the playground

"Yeah it was good thank you"

"What did you do?"

"Not much really"

Lexie definitely wasn't as chatty as she normally was which Rachel picked up on.

They got to a bench and Rachel sat down on it. Lexie copied her head mistress.

"Is everything okay at home at the minute Lexie?"

"Yes why wouldn't it be?" Lexie replied almost immediately before Rachel had finished saying what she wanted to

"It's just I've seen you at school a lot recently outside of school hours and when you ran off on Friday it looked like you were crying"

Lexie looked down at the ground and didn't say anything.

"Do you want to talk to me about what you were upset about?"

"I was just tired and I'd had a bit of a rubbish day. I'm fine now though" Lexie said but Rachel wasn't convinced

"Why were you having a rubbish day?"

"All my teachers seemed to be going on about exams and it was making me stressed about them" Lexie said making up an excuse

"You know you don't need to stress about exams. All we ask is that you try your best and I know how hard you work Lexie so you're going to be just fine"

"Hopefully"

Rachel still thought there was more to Friday than exam stress but it was clear to Rachel that she wasn't going to get anything out of Lexie.

It wasn't long before the bell went for first period.

"You better get to your first lesson Lexie. You know where I am if you feel stressed about exams though or you want to talk about anything else"

"Thanks miss" Lexie said before picking up her school bag and hurrying away

Rachel then went up to her office to do some work. It needed to be done so she realised that she was going to have to sit in the office with Max.

Rachel felt like am imposter in her office the whole morning. Little did she know that her day was about to get a lot worse.

At lunchtime Rachel started heading to the canteen to buy some lunch. Usually she brought her own but she hadn't got round to making anything last night.

As Rachel was walking through the corridor Sambuca Kelly was running towards her and not looking where she was going.

Sam ended up bumping into Rachel.

"Careful" Rachel shouted but then realised that Sam had a suspicious looking bottle in her hand

"Give that to me" Rachel said at once

Rachel took the bottle out of Sam's hand, opened the bottle and sniffed what was inside.

It smelt awful and Rachel realised at once it was alcohol. She couldn't believe it.

"Come with me"

Rachel took Sam straight to the cooler before informing Max about what had happened. This was the last thing she wanted to do but she didn't really have a choice.

Max decided to set the fire alarm off to get everybody out of the building.

It wasn't the approach Rachel would have taken but Max had done it before she could say anything.

Kids started filing out of their classrooms and into the playground.

Once the majority were outside Max started shouting at the pupils and informing them there bags would be searched.

The teachers started to take the register for their form groups when Rachel saw Steph running off so followed her back into school.

"Steph what's going on?" Rachel said after catching up with Steph

"It's Danielle, I think she's had the ethanol"

"What makes you say that?"

"I saw her earlier, she was in a right state. I don't know where she is now, we need to find her"

Rachel couldn't believe it but now wasn't the time to be telling Steph off so the two of them started looking for Danielle.

Rachel opened the door to the French toilets and went inside.

She couldn't believe it when she saw Danielle lying on the floor in one of the cubicles unconscious.

Rachel rushed straight over and crouched down on the floor and rested Danielle's head on her lap.

"We need to phone an ambulance Steph"

"I'll drive her to the hospital, it will be quicker" Steph replied

"Come on sweetie, wake up" Rachel said whilst hitting Danielle's cheek

Danielle came to a little bit and Rachel and Steph struggled but managed to get her on her feet.

The two of them then practically had to carry her between them out to Steph's car.

Rachel watched as Steph drove out of the school gates before returning to everyone else.

Kim came straight over.

"Rachel, Lexie Edwards is missing too" Kim informed her

"Oh god I hope she hasn't had the ethanol too"

Rachel ran straight back into school followed by Kim.

"I know she's not in the French toilets, I just came from there" Rachel said

"I'll try the English block then" Kim said

"Okay, I'll try maths" Rachel said before they split

Rachel ran to the maths block and couldn't find her there so then tried the science block.

Suddenly Rachel's phone started ringing. She saw it was Kim so picked up immediately.

"Kim have you found her?" Rachel asked so worried that Lexie was in the same state as what Danielle was

"Yes I've found her and she's fine. I'm going to take her to my office"

"Okay, I'll meet you there"

Rachel hurried to Kim's office.

When Kim saw coming she stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

"Where was she?" Rachel asked

"She was in the English toilets. She had a bottle of the ethanol but only had a sip"

"Did she say why she didn't go outside when the fire alarm went off?"

"She didn't say"

"Right, well let's try and find out"

Rachel and Kim went back into the office where Lexie was.

Whilst Kim was out of the room Lexie hadn't been able to stop her tears. Now that Rachel and Kim were there too she'd forced herself to stop and was brushing away her tears.

Lexie was expecting to be in a lot of trouble with Rachel but much to her surprise Rachel was actually really soft.

"How come you didn't go outside when the fire alarm went off Lexie?" Rachel asked and Lexie shrugged

"You know the rules. It could have been a real fire"

"I'm sorry"

Rachel and Kim tried talking to Lexie but they really didn't get much out of her.

In the end they let her go and gave her lunchtime detentions for the week like the other pupils that had been caught with the ethanol.

"That's so unlike Lexie Kim. I mean buying the ethanol like a lot of the others is one thing but hiding out in the toilets when the fire alarm is going off"

"I agree, maybe she's having problems at home again. I'll try ringing her Mum"

"Thanks Kim. See how you get on and then we can try and speak to Lexie again tomorrow"

"I'll let you know how I get on with Lexie's Mum, she's not the most cooperative woman though"

Rachel left Kim to it and went to find Max to deal with the pupils who had been caught with ethanol.

Rachel was pleased when the end of the day came around.

Olivia came up to Rachel's office and then the two of them left.

"Do you know if Danielle's okay Rach?" Olivia asked as of course pretty much the whole school knew about what Danielle had done

"I think so. They're keeping her in hospital tonight for observation but I think she's going to be fine"

"That's good, she looked like she was in a right state earlier"

"She was which is exactly why drinking too much alcohol is not a good idea"

"Do you think Danielle feels bad about what happened?"

"I expect she's feeling absolutely awful about it. Which is why I'm going to go and see her tonight"

"Why?"

"Because I'm sure she'll be dreading coming back to school so I want to try and make her feel a bit better"

"Surely you don't have to do that?"

"No but I want to"

"That's nice. What will me and Daisy do while you go?"

"I'm going to ask Angela if you can go to her house for an hour after tea"

"Okay"

They went to pick up Daisy from school before going home.

When they got in Olivia went straight upstairs to change out of her uniform and Rachel went into the kitchen with Daisy and got her a snack.

Rachel then phoned Angela who agreed to look after Olivia and Daisy whilst Rachel went to the hospital.

"Was that Angela?" Olivia asked after coming into the kitchen and hearing the end of the conversation

"Yes you're going to go to her house after tea so that I can go to the hospital"

"Why are you going to the hospital?" Daisy asked immediately sounding scared

"A pupil from Waterloo Road is in hospital poorly so I want to go and see her"

"Is she going to die?" Daisy asked

"No Daisy, she's going to be fine. I'll do tea for about 5 and then we'll go after that"

"Okay, what are we having?" Olivia asked

"Fajitas, is that okay?"

"Yummy"

Rachel got changed out of her work clothes and did a bit of paper work before cooking tea.

After they'd eaten Rachel dropped the girls to Angela's before driving to the hospital.

As expected Danielle was feeling mortified about what had happened and had got really upset when Rachel was there. By the time Rachel left though she was feeling a lot better.

Rachel left the hospital and was about to drive home when she remembered she needed a few bits from the supermarket so decided to go now.

As Rachel walked into Tesco she heard a hysterical young girl begging the security guards to let her leave the store.

It wasn't until Rachel came around the corner that she realised it was Lexie. When she did Rachel went straight over to try and help.

"Sorry to interrupt. I'm Rachel Mason, head mistress of Waterloo Road. Lexie is one of my pupils, is there anything I could do to help"

Lexie felt incredibly embarrassed and was now facing away from Rachel as she couldn't bare to look at her in the eye.

"We caught this girl trying to walk out of the shop with items she has not paid for" one of the security guards said

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have. Please just let me go"

"We already told you we can't do that. You won't give us a phone number to contact your parents so we're going to have to hand this over to the police"

"Please don't. I promise I won't do it again, just let me go"

Lexie was in such a state and Rachel was feeling really sorry for her.

"I don't think that's an option Lexie" Rachel said calmly "I know you don't want to be in trouble with your Mum but the best thing you can do now is let the security guards call her. She might be angry to start with but she'll get over it"

"I can't"

"Yes you can, it will be okay"

"No I can't" Lexie cried

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know where my Mum is. I'm starving and I have no money which is why I tried to steal" Lexie said before attempting to run off

Rachel stopped her though and wrapped her arms around her.

Lexie tried to pull away but eventually crumbled in Rachel's arms.

"It's okay, it's all going to be okay" Rachel said holding onto Lexie

By now lots of people were staring so Rachel asked the security guards if there was somewhere more private they could go after a couple of minutes.

With Lexie in floods of tears, they followed the security guards to a back room.

"Can we just have a few minutes? I promise I won't let her go anywhere"

The security guards left so it was just Rachel and Lexie.

"When did you last see your Mum Lexie?"

"Five weeks ago"

"Who've you been staying with?"

"Just at home"

"On your own?"

Lexie nodded her head feeling so embarrassed.

"But you're only 15 Lexie, your Mum isn't allowed to do that"

"Well she has"

"Where has she gone?"

"How would I know. She just left me with nothing. All I wanted tonight was something to eat and some shampoo so I could wash my hair and not look like a tramp. I don't know what I was thinking, I didn't want to get into trouble"

"I completely understand why you did what you did"

"They're going to call the police"

"Not if I have anything to do with it. Are you going to be okay here while I go and talk to them?"

"Yeah" Lexie said still trying to stop crying

"And then you can come to my house and I'll get you some food and you can have a shower and sleep at my house tonight"

"But you're my teacher" Lexie said not really knowing what to say

"Yes and I want to help you Lexie"

Rachel went out and spoke to the security guards. It took a lot of persuading but eventually Rachel managed to get them to agree to not call the police.

Lexie apologised again before leaving Tesco with Rachel.

"Right, let's go back to your house so you can get some clean clothes and then we'll go to my house"

"No I don't want to go to my house" Lexie said adamantly

"Ok, that's fine" Rachel said before just driving home

Lexie was very quiet on the journey.

When they got in Rachel showed Lexie upstairs and into the kitchen.

Lexie had never been in such a nice house. It was so big and homely.

"So we had fajitas earlier and there's leftovers so you can either have that or there's some chicken pie from last night or I can make you some pasta. What do you fancy?"

"I don't mind, whatever is easiest"

"Any of it is easy, what do you fancy most?"

"The chicken pie please"

"Coming right up"

Rachel heated the leftovers up from the chicken pie they'd had the night before passing it to Lexie.

"Thank you" Lexie said.

"Right I just need to go and get Olivia and Daisy from my friend's house and then I'll be back"

"Okay"

After Rachel left Lexie was tempted to leave herself too. She was feeling quite uncomfortable and out of place being in her head mistress' house.

Lexie was so hungry though and she really wanted a nice hot shower so she decided to stay. She was nervous about Olivia and Daisy coming back though.

Rachel returned after ten minutes having explained why she'd taken so long and that Lexie was going to be staying the night.

Lexie had finished eating by the time they got back so after introducing the girls Rachel took Lexie upstairs to the guest bedroom.

"You can sleep in here tonight Lexie. Would you prefer to have a shower or a bath now?"

"A shower please if that's okay"

"Of course it is. There's shampoo and everything in the en-suite and I'll just go and get you some towels now"

"Thank you"

Lexie stood awkwardly in the middle of the room while Rachel went and got some towels out of the airing cupboard.

Rachel returned a few minutes later.

"There you go. There's some of my pyjamas which are going to be too big for you but hopefully they'll still be comfy. I also got my face cleanser and moisturiser because I thought you might like to use them"

"Are you sure you don't mind doing all of this for me?" Lexie asked as she took the stuff from Rachel

"Of course not, I wouldn't have offered if I did. Take your time and when you're done it's up to you if you want to come down or stay up here"

"Okay thank you"

Lexie went into the en-suite and closed the door behind her.

Rachel turned off the big light and turned on the lamps to make it a bit more cosy before leaving the room.

It was past Daisy's bed time by now so Rachel put her straight to bed. It took a while to get her to settle.

Once she was though Rachel went and sat in the lounge with Olivia.

"So is Lexie staying here just tonight or for longer?" Olivia asked

"I'm not sure yet love. I need to try and get hold of her Mum and then we'll take it from there"

"What happens if you don't. Will Lexie have to go into care?"

"I'm going to do everything I can to stop that from happening"

After another half an hour Lexie hadn't come downstairs so Rachel decided to go up and check on her.

Rachel knocked on the door to the guest bedroom.

"Come in"

Rachel went in and found Lexie sat on the bed. She still had wet hair and Rachel felt bad for not giving her the hair drier.

"Sorry Lexie, I should have gotten you my hair drier. I'll get it in a minute"

"It's okay"

"So do you want to come down and sit with me and Olivia or would you prefer to just stay up here?"

"I'll just stop up here if that's okay"

"Of course it is"

It was obvious how much Lexie had been crying and Rachel really dd feel sorry for her.

"Can we have a little chat first?"

"Okay"

Rachel went and sat by Lexie on the bed.

"So you say you haven't seen your Mum in 5 weeks now. Do you have any idea where she might be?"

"I don't have a clue"

"Does she leave you alone often?"

"Sometimes but she never normally goes away for this long. I think she owes a lot of money"

"What makes you say that?"

"Because we've had loads of final notices and then these men came at the weekend and took all of the stuff from the house" Lexie said relieved to finally be telling someone what was going on

"I hate being in the house, that's why I've been spending so much time at school. We have no hot water and no heating" Lexie said crying

Rachel pulled Lexie into her chest and gave her a much needed hug.

"You should have told someone sooner Lexie"

"It's not that easy"

"I know, but I'm so glad I know now so that I can help you"

"Please don't tell anyone at school about this"

"I'm going to have to tell a few people about this Lexie, but only people who really need to know"

"I don't want my friends to find out"

"They won't if you don't want them to. You have such a great group of friends though Lexie, they'd just want to help you"

"No it's too embarrassing"

"Ok that's fine, they won't find out then"

"What's going to happen? Are you going to call social services?"

"That's something we'll talk about tomorrow. For now I think you should concentrate on getting a good nights sleep"

"I have no clean clothes to wear to school tomorrow. I haven't been able to wash any of my clothes at home so they're all dirty now"

"Do you know Mia Bennett in the year below you?" Rachel asked and Lexie nodded

"Well she lives next door so I'll ask her if you can borrow some of hers okay?"

"So you told her?"

"No she wasn't there when I went to pick up Olivia and Daisy. I might have to explain when I ask her for some uniform though, would you mind?"

"She'll tell her friends though and it will get round the whole school"

"I'll tell Mia not to and I trust her to know that she wouldn't go gossiping about something like this, not even to her closest friends"

"Okay I guess so"

Rachel stayed talking to Lexie for a bit longer. Rachel could tell that what Lexie really needed was sleep though so left her to get a good nights sleep.

She quickly nipped to Angela's and got some clean clothes for Lexie ready for the morning before coming back and relaxing with Olivia. She couldn't stop thinking about what to do about Lexie though.

**Please review xxx **


	6. Chapter 6

Over three weeks had passed since the night Rachel helped Lexie out when she was caught shop lifting in Tesco. Lexie had been staying with Rachel ever since.

Rachel hadn't been able to get hold of Lexie's Mum and there was no way she could Lexie go into care. It was too important a time in Lexie's life for her to be put into the system.

Kim and Chris kept telling Rachel that she needed to ring social services but Rachel had no intention of doing this.

After another week of butting heads with Max at school, Rachel was relieved that Friday was here.

A couple of minutes after the bell went Olivia came rushing up to Rachel's office with a few of her friends.

"Rach is it okay if I go into town for a bit?"

"Yeah that's fine with me. What time do you want picking up?"

"I'll just walk home after"

"Are you sure? It's really cold"

"Yeah it's fine, I don't mind"

"Okay well have a good time. Angela and Mia are coming over for tonight, I think they're coming at about 6"

"I'll be back before then"

"Okay, have a good time girls"

Olivia went off with her friends so Rachel picked up her things and made her way to the car.

Rachel was really looking forward to Angela coming over tonight and having a couple of glasses of wine with her. She certainly needed someone to talk to Max about.

When Rachel got to the car Lexie was there waiting for her.

"Oh hiya Lexie. I thought you were going to walk back tonight"

"Well I was thinking I should probably just go home tonight"

"As supposed to where?"

"As in home to my Mum's house" Lexie said realising that Rachel hadn't understood what she meant

"Why is your Mum home?" Rachel asked feeling slightly disappointed

"Not that I know of but I can't just stay with you all the time. It isn't fair on you"

"I can't let you go and stay in a house on your own Lexie, you're only fifteen"

"Nearly sixteen"

"Still not old enough to have to look after yourself, especially in a house with no hot water and no heating"

"I don't want to get in the way though"

"You aren't getting in the way. Honestly, I like having you around Lex"

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely positive"

"Thank you. Do you think my Mum is ever coming back? It's been like two months now"

"I really have no idea love. Do you want a lift now you're here?"

"Okay then"

"Get in quickly then, we're late for picking up Daisy"

"Where's Olivia?" Lexie asked after getting into the car

"She's gone into town with some of her friends"

"Is Angela still coming over tonight?"

"Yep she is, and Mia"

"Cool"

Rachel drove to Daisy's primary school and collected her before driving home.

When they got in all three of them went upstairs to get changed into something a bit comfier.

Rachel had just finished getting changed out of her work clothes when Daisy came in.

"Rachel"

"Yes love" Rachel said while picking her dirty clothes up off the floor

"Why don't you have a husband?"

That really wasn't something Rachel was expecting Daisy to say and she couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"Why are you laughing?" Daisy asked deadly seriously

"I just wasn't expecting you to ask me that. I don't have a husband because I've never got married"

"But I thought everyone has a husband when they are your age"

"No not everyone. Lots of people my age do have husbands but I've never found someone that I wanted to marry"

"Eddie was nice. You could have married Eddie"

"Eddie was very nice but things didn't work out for us"

"When I'm your age I want to have a husband and lots of babies"

"Do you now? Well that's still a long way away isn't it. Right, what do you want to do now?"

"I want to finish making the loom band necklace that I started last night"

"Okay do you want to sit at the breakfast bar and do it while I prepare dinner?"

"Yes please"

Rachel and Daisy both went downstairs.

Daisy had a snack and then started doing her loom band necklace.

Rachel made a start on the curry she was making for tonight.

"What do you want for your tea tonight Daisy? We're having curry which you don't like so I thought you could eat earlier"

"Why can't I eat with you?"

"Because our curry won't be ready until after your bedtime"

"But it's Friday, I can stay up later than my bed time"

"Not tonight Daisy. You can have fish fingers or chicken dippers if you like"

"Fine I'll have fish fingers. Can I have smiley faces too?"

"If that's what you'd like. Do you want beans or peas?"

"Peas please"

"Okay. It will be ready in about an hour"

Rachel started chopping up an onion when Lexie came into the kitchen.

"Do you want some help?"

"I'm happy doing it unless you would like to help"

"I'd like to"

"Okay do you want to chop the onions then and I'll do the chicken"

Lexie was always really helpful around the house which Rachel appreciated a lot.

After another hour Olivia came home after going into town with her friends.

Rachel was just putting Daisy's tea down in front of her when Olivia walked in.

"Hiya love, did you have a good time in town?"

"Yeah it was good. We went to Costa and had a look around the shops"

"Did you buy anything?"

"No I didn't really see anything I liked. I'm just going to go and change out of my uniform"

"Okay. Do you want to eat now or do you want to wait and have curry?" Rachel asked quietly so that Daisy wouldn't hear

"I'll wait and have curry"

"It probably won't be ready until about half seven after I've put Daisy to bed"

"That's fine"

Olivia went upstairs and got changed out of her uniform.

It wasn't much longer before Angela and Mia arrived.

"Lexie's up n her room if you want to go and see her Mia" Rachel said hoping she would go up so that she could speak to Angela on her own.

"I'll go up now"

Olivia and Daisy were both upstairs too so it was just Rachel and Angela.

Angela brought over a bottle of prosecco so Rachel opened it up straight away. After the week she'd had she felt as though she really needed it.

Rachel and Angela went into the lounge and had a chat. Rachel talked all about Max and Angela talked about her husband working all the time.

After another hour Lexie and Mia appeared downstairs. The girls had become quite close since Lexie had started staying with Rachel even though they were in different school years.

Mia sat down next to her Mum on the sofa and Lexie sat next to Rachel.

"Rachel we were wondering if Mia could sleep over tonight"

"Yeah that's fine by me"

"Cool thanks"

"I guess we may as well finish off the rest of this bottle of prosecco and then I'd better get Daisy to bed. I haven't seen her for a while, I'll just go and check she's okay"

"Olivia and Daisy are in the play room watching a film, I just saw them" Lexie said

"That's alright then. Angela and I were thinking about going for a nice walk somewhere on Sunday, do you girls fancy it?"

"That sounds good" Mia said

"I don't know if I'll have time. If we're going shopping tomorrow and I've got loads of homework to do" Lexie said

"I'm sure you can fit it all in if you'd like to come"

"I've got loads to do though. Mrs Roberts sets so much maths homework, it's actually ridiculous the amount she sets"

"You are in year 11 now"

"I wish Mr Lawson was still my teacher, he always used to give a good amount and understood that we needed a break too"

"Mrs Roberts is a very good teacher"

"Not as good as Mr Lawson though, how come he did leave?"

"I already told you when I announced it in assembly"

"You just said he had a new job. But that doesn't explain why he left Waterloo Road"

"He just needed a change"

"Do you still see Mr Lawson?"

"No I haven't seen him since August"

"You and Mr Lawson were so good together, it's sad you broke up"

"I know but these things happen" Rachel said sadly

"Everyone at school thought you were going to end up getting married, we thought you were meant to be together" Mia said

"How come you did break up?" Lexie asked

"Well Mr Lawson is having a baby with Miss Ryan so it didn't really make sense for us to be together"

The prosecco had gone right to Rachel's head. Otherwise she probably would have changed the subject by now.

"It was obvious Mr Lawson wanted to be with you and not Miss Ryan though, surely you could make it work"

"Yeah no-one could believe it when Mr Lawson and Miss Ryan got together. We all thought you and Mr Lawson were about to get together" Mia said

"You two are so nosey" Angela said laughing

"Yeah well Mr Lawson and Miss Ryan did get together so that's that" Rachel said before finishing off her glass of prosecco

"Right I'm going to put Daisy to bed and then I'll get the rice on for the curry"

Rachel walked out before Mia and Lexie could ask anymore questions.

Daisy was reluctant to go to bed but Rachel quickly got her into bed once she stopped kicking up a fuss.

When she came down Rachel got the rice cooking and Olivia helped her put some poppadum's and dips on the table for everyone.

Everyone came and sat at the table and Rachel got out a bottle of white wine for her and Angela.

After having poppadum's Rachel brought the rice, curry and naan breads over to the table and everyone dished up and started eating.

"This is delicious Rach" Angela said

"Lexie helped make it too"

"It's so tasty" Mia added

They all had a really nice evening and ended up chatting a lot. Olivia, Lexie and Mia all enjoyed talking with Rachel and Angela.

Angela went home at about ten and Mia and Lexie went up to the room Lexie was staying in.

Rachel went and said goodnight to Olivia before going to her own bedroom to change into her pyjamas.

Once she was ready for bed Rachel decided to text Eddie. She'd had a lot of wine and she was missing him so much.

Rachel text Eddie telling him how miserable Max was making Waterloo Road for her and how much she missed him. She sent it before lying down in bed and going straight to sleep.

After having a few hours of sleep Rachel woke up and suddenly remembered texting Eddie last night.

Rachel grabbed her phone immediately and saw a couple of missed calls and a text from Eddie. She opened up the messages to see what she had said to Eddie.

Rachel felt really embarrassed and couldn't believe she'd sent a drunken message to Eddie. Now she really was regretting having so much wine.

After that Rachel had a really bad nights sleep and kept waking up thinking about what she'd done and what she was going to say to Eddie.

Rachel was asleep when Daisy climbed into her bed the next morning at about 7.

Daisy snuggled into Rachel which woke Rachel up.

"Morning love, it's not time to get up already is it?"

"It's past seven"

"But it's Saturday. Shall we stay in here and cuddle for a bit?"

"Okay"

Rachel was relieved when Daisy laid there quietly cuddling into her. She had a banging headache and realised today was probably going to be a bit of a struggle.

After lying in bed with Daisy for about half an hour Rachel went downstairs with Daisy who was starting to get restless.

Daisy went into the lounge and put the TV on while Rachel went and made herself a coffee and took some paracetamol.

Rachel then went into the lounge and sat on the sofa.

"Rachel you aren't listening to me" Daisy said bringing Rachel out of her thoughts

"Sorry love, what did you say?"

"What are we doing today?"

"I think we'll have a lazy morning and then we're going to go shopping this afternoon"

"Shopping is boring, can't we go swimming instead?"

"We went swimming last weekend and Olivia and Lexie want to go shopping this weekend so we're going to do that today"

If Rachel wasn't feeling so hungover she may have considered doing both but going to a swimming pool was the last thing she felt like doing today.

Rachel realised she needed to say something to Eddie so that he would hopefully stop calling.

It took Rachel ages to figure out what to say but eventually she sent the text. She really hoped Eddie would let the situation go now and not try and ring her about it again.

After another hour Olivia, Lexie and Mia were all up too.

Mia headed straight home as she was going out with her friends today so needed to go home to get ready.

"Right I'm going to go up for a shower and then how does pancakes sound for breakfast?"

The girls all liked this idea.

Rachel had a shower and got dressed before coming down to make pancakes for the girls as promised.

"Aren't you having pancakes today Rachel?" Olivia asked

"No I'm not really hungry this morning" Rachel replied

"Are you hungover?" Lexie asked

"No I'm just not hungry that's all"

"I bet you are, you had loads of wine last night"

"Well maybe I am a little bit" Rachel said honestly

"Does that mean we aren't going shopping anymore?" Olivia asked sounding disappointed

"We're still going shopping, don't worry. We'll go after lunch though"

Rachel started clearing up from making the pancakes and had nearly finished when there was a knock at the door.

The person standing on the other side of the door really wasn't someone Rachel felt like talking to right now. She didn't exactly have a choice now other than to open the door though as he would have seen her through the front door.

Rachel slowly opened the door.

"Eddie" Rachel said smiling "what are you doing here?"

"You're not returning any of my calls Rach, I wanted to check you're okay"

"I'm fine"

"Really, because it didn't sound like it from your text message last night"

"I'd just had too much wine Eddie. Honestly I made it sound worse than it is"

"See I don't think that you did Rachel. Can I come in so that we can talk?"

Rachel realised that Eddie wasn't going to take no for an answer so let him in.

It had been so long since Eddie had been in her house and him being there was making her stomach do somersaults.

Eddie ended up staying for about an hour. Rachel had to admit that after he left she felt a lot better about the whole Max situation. He'd made her realise that she could stand up to Max.

After Eddie left Rachel went upstairs to check on the girls who were definitely going to have a lot of questions about why Eddie had come over.

Rachel got Daisy dressed before going to see what Olivia and Lexie were up to.

Lexie was in her bedroom doing some homework.

Rachel then went into Olivia's bedroom.

"I'm going to go to Tesco in a minute love. Do you want to come with me or stay here?" Rachel asked and then noticed Olivia's chest. Olivia was wearing a bra, which she didn't normally, and one that looked like it was way too big for her

"Can I stay here please?"

"Yes of course"

Rachel then went and closed Olivia's bedroom door realising that she needed to have a little chat with her.

"Why have you closed the door?" Olivia asked

"I want to talk to you about something. Come and sit down a sec love"

Rachel and Olivia both took a seat on Olivia's bed.

"I see you're wearing a bra. Did you buy that yesterday?" Rachel asked gently

Olivia's cheeks turned bright red because she felt really embarrassed Rachel had found her with it on. She had been about to take it off when Rachel came in because she didn't know it would make her boobs look so big.

Olivia nodded her head.

"Do you think it's maybe a bit big?"

"Yes sorry I'm going to take it off now, I don't know why I bought it"

"Hey you don't need to be sorry. You're 11 now, I'm not surprised you want to start wearing a bra. How about when we're shopping later we go and get you one that fits properly, would you like that?"

"Yes please"

"Okay that's what we'll do then. I'll ask Lexie to look after Daisy for a bit and we can go off just the two of us for a little while to get it sorted"

"Thank you"

"You didn't have to go and buy the bra on your own you know? You could have just talked to me about it so I could help you out"

All of a sudden Olivia burst into tears.

"Oh love I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you upset" Rachel said before pulling Olivia into her so she could give her a hug

"It's not your fault"

"What's made you upset?"

"It's just all my friends went bra shopping with their Mum and I've been wanting to get one for ages but I was too scared to speak to you about it"

"You didn't need to be scared to talk to me about it but I do get that speaking about these things can be a bit tricky. I know I'm not your Mum but I do want you to be able to come to me whether it's because you want to get a bra or someone has upset you at school or just because you fancy a chat about something. I'm here for you, whatever you need. I'm not going to try and replace your Mum but you really don't need to do it on your own, I'm here"

"Thank you" Olivia said

"Right now let's wipe away those tears" Rachel said before brushing the tears off of Olivia's cheeks

Olivia offered Rachel a small smile.

"There, a smile that's better"

"Rachel please could I actually come to Tesco with you?"

"Yep it will just be the two of us. Daisy and Lexie are both staying here"

"Okay"

"Are you going to take that bra off first though?"

"Yeah I look so stupid"

"You don't look stupid. Your boobs just aren't that big yet"

"I don't really have any boobs, I thought you'd say I don't need one yet"

"You have started to develop a bit love. I definitely think it's time you started wearing something which is why I was already planning on seeing if you wanted to get one today anyway"

"Really?"

"Yep really"

"I wish I never bought it yesterday"

"It doesn't matter, we'll just take it back today"

Rachel went downstairs and got some bags out ready to go shopping whilst Olivia got changed.

The two of them then headed off to Tesco and Olivia enjoyed having a bit of time with Rachel to herself.


	7. Chapter 7

At the sound of her alarm clock at 6 o clock, Rachel woke up yet again not looking forward to a day at Waterloo Road.

Max Tyler really was making her life miserable at the moment and all Rachel wanted was to go back to the previous school year. If someone had told her twelve months ago that she would dread coming to work on a daily basis she never would have believed them. This was how Rachel did feel though and it was really starting to get her down.

Lexie and Olivia had both noticed that Rachel wasn't her usual self. As much as Rachel tried to hide her feelings around them and remain upbeat, she couldn't help but let on that something wasn't quite right.

Part of Rachel was tempted to phone in sick and spend the day at home catching up on paperwork. She knew there was no point in avoiding the situation though as it would only make things worse in the long run. Plus she had arranged for Lindsay and Emily's Mum's solicitor to come in today so she didn't want to miss that.

Rachel dragged herself out of bed and got straight in the shower.

Her mind kept wandering off as she let the hot water run down over her body meaning that she ended up spending much longer in the shower as usual. When Rachel came out of her en suite and saw the time she realised she needed to hurry up or she was going to be late.

It appeared that Rachel wasn't the only one who didn't want to go into school today. Olivia was saying she felt ill and asking for the day off but Rachel wasn't convinced that there was anything wrong with her.

"I really don't think that you're too unwell for school love"

"I really don't feel well"

"Well how about you try and if when you're in your lessons you feel really bad you can come up to my office"

"It's not fair, why are you making me go to school when I'm ill. If it was anyone else they'd be allowed the day off" Olivia shouted before flouncing off upstairs

Rachel ran her hands through her hair before going out to the hallway to shout Daisy and Lexie down for breakfast.

"Daisy, Lexie come down for breakfast"

After a few moments Daisy walked out of the lounge still in her pyjamas.

"Daisy I told you to go and get dressed ten minutes ago. What were you doing?"

"I was watching the end of Paw Patrol"

"Right, upstairs and get dressed as quickly as you can. I've laid your clothes out on your bed for you"

Rachel followed Daisy upstairs and went in to check on Olivia.

Olivia's door wasn't closed all the way so Rachel went in.

"You know if I really did think you were poorly I would let you have a day off, but I'm not sure that you are"

"I do have a bit of a sore throat" Olivia said sounding more calm than she had when they were downstairs

"Right, well how about I give you some paracetamol and then see how you get on at school?"

"Okay" Olivia said quietly

Olivia had calmed down but Rachel was a bit worried there was something at school that she was trying to avoid.

"Is there something at school that you aren't looking forward to today?" Rachel asked and Olivia shrugged her shoulders

"Have you had a falling out with your friends?"

"No"

"It's just that I'm pretty good at telling when someone is really poorly after working in a school for years and you don't seem like you are really poorly to me. So that makes me think that there's something or someone you're trying to avoid at school"

"I have to do a presentation in English today and I don't want to"

"Right, well first of all thank you for being honest with me. And second of all, I'm sure you're not the only one that's worried about having to do it today. I know it seems like an awful thing you have to do but once you've done it I think you'll realise it really wasn't that bad or worth getting worried about"

"I'm probably going to forget what I'm meant to be saying. I wish it was after lunch so I had more time to practice it"

"What period is it?"

"First period"

"That's a good thing love. That way you can get it out of the way and stop worrying about it. I'm sure you've practiced enough and you'll do an excellent job"

"Probably not"

"Yes you will. Just do your best and it will be over before you know it"

"I guess"

"So do you still want that paracetamol?"

"Well I do have a bit of a sore throat but I probably don't need paracetamol"

"Just come and see me later if you do need some"

"Okay thanks Rachel" Olivia said feeling a bit better for talking to Rachel about how she was feeling

"Right, are you going to go down and have some breakfast?"

"Yeah"

"I'm running a bit behind today so would you be able to get a bowl of cereal for Daisy please? I'll send her down once she's dressed"

"Okay"

"Thanks love"

Eventually Rachel managed to get them all out of the house.

They dropped Daisy to school before driving onto Waterloo Road.

Rachel said goodbye to Lexie and Olivia before facing the school day.

Just as Rachel had anticipated, it wasn't a good day.

Max was making things really awkward between her and Kim and trying to stop Rachel from helping Lindsay. Lindsay had her barriers up high which Rachel was trying to break through but Max wasn't supporting her in any way.

When Lexie and Olivia came up to her office at the end of the day Rachel decided to ask them both a really big favour.

"I need to speak with Mr Mead about something tonight. Could you girls please do me a really big favour and look after Daisy until I get home?"

"Yeah that's fine" Lexie said

"I'll still pick Daisy up and drop you girls home and then come back"

"We can just walk, it's fine"

"No don't be daft, it's freezing outside. It won't take long"

Rachel dropped the girls home before heading back to Waterloo Road to try and catch Chris.

Chris had also had a bad day after being accused of having an inappropriate relationship with Vicky McDonald. Rachel liked Chris and wished that he had come to her so that she could have helped him to sort it.

Rachel thought that they could both do with a drink after the day they'd had so suggested a trip to the pub.

When they walked out of school Rachel was very surprised to see Lindsay James still at school. The girl looked upset and vulnerable and Rachel hoped this could be her chance to get through to Lindsay.

Rachel went and joined her and this time all it took was for Rachel to mutter the words "tell me" for Lindsay to finally open up.

When Lindsay told Rachel that her Dad used to sexually abuse her she felt awful. It made the problems she was having at the minute seem like nothing.

Rachel was so pleased to finally be able to provide a shoulder for Lindsay to cry on.

After doing as much as she could for Lindsay tonight Rachel took her to her Auntie's house before meeting Chris in the pub. Rachel rang Lexie and explained she was going to be a bit later home and asked her to get Daisy's tea.

Rachel couldn't believe what a day it was turning out to be.

If she didn't have the responsibility of three kids she probably would have stayed for more than one drink at the pub.

Rachel knew that Lexie, Olivia and Daisy were at home waiting for her though so this wasn't an option.

After finishing her glass of wine Rachel went home. She had paper work that needed doing but she couldn't face it tonight. She couldn't stop thinking about Lindsay and the paperwork just didn't seem important.

Rachel walked into the kitchen where Daisy was having beans on toast and Lexie was sat with her.

"Thanks for getting Daisy's tea love"

"That's okay"

"Where's Olivia?"

"Upstairs doing some homework"

Rachel chatted with Lexie for a few minutes. Lexie seemed a bit quiet.

"Mia text me earlier asking if I want to go to hers for a bit"

Since moving in with Rachel Lexie had got quite close with Mia.

"Okay. Shall we eat after Daisy has gone to bed then?"

"Yeah sounds good. I'm going to go over now"

"See you in a bit then"

Once Lexie had gone Rachel nipped upstairs to speak to Olivia. She felt bad as she'd completely forgotten to ask how her presentation went with everything that had gone on today.

"I completely forgot to ask how your presentation was earlier. I'm so sorry love, it's just been one of those days"

"That's okay. You were right, it wasn't as bad as I thought. I'm glad it's over though"

"I bet you are"

"Did you have a good day?"

"Not really if I'm being honest"

"How come?"

"There just seems to be a lot of things going wrong at the minute. But I'm sure tomorrow will be better" Rachel said though she didn't sound very convincing

"Hopefully. How much more homework have you got to do?"

"Not much. I'm just finishing my English homework and then I'm done"

"Do you want to do it downstairs while I cook tea?"

"Okay. What are we having for tea?"

"I'm going to do something easy like pasta I think. Lexie has popped over to Mia's for a bit so we're going to eat after Daisy has gone to bed"

"Rachel how much longer is Lexie going to be staying with us for?"

"I'm not sure love. I'm still trying to get hold of her Mum but I haven't had any luck yet. Why, do you not like having Lexie living with us?"

"I really like her living here, she's so nice. I've started to wish that her Mum doesn't come back at all so she can live with us permanently. Is that bad?"

"It's not bad that you don't want Lexie to have to leave love. I love having her around too and can't say that I'm looking forward to the day she has to leave either. I know Lexie's Mum hasn't always been the best but I know she loves Lexie so I'm sure she'll be back"

"I don't understand how any Mum could just leave their children"

"I don't either love but we don't know Lexie's Mum's reasons or what she had going on"

"Do you think something has happened to her?"

"That's what I'm thinking the more time goes on I have to say. Don't say anything like that to Lexie though because we don't know"

"I won't"

Rachel and Olivia went downstairs. They stopped talking about Lexie's Mum before getting downstairs because this wasn't a conversation to be overheard by Daisy.

Olivia finished her homework while Rachel made a start on tea and got organised for tomorrow. Daisy was in the lounge watching TV.

Once their tea was nearly done Rachel text Lexie saying it was nearly ready before going upstairs to put Daisy to bed.

When she came back downstairs Lexie still wasn't back so Rachel rang her.

Lexie didn't pick up her phone so Rachel decided to pop next door to get her figuring that Lexie either didn't have her phone or had it on silent.

Rachel went over to Angela's and was very surprised when Angela said that Lexie wasn't here.

Angela went upstairs to double check but she definitely wasn't and Mia said she hadn't spoken to her all day.

This instantly made Rachel worry as she had no idea where Lexie had gone.

Rachel went straight home and tried to eat her tea with Olivia. She hadn't been that hungry anyway but now she had no appetite whatsoever.

"What are you going to do? Are you going to ring the police?" Olivia asked who was also clearly very worried

"Not yet, Lexie probably just needed a bit of space. It's only quarter to eight, I'm sure she'll come back soon"

"Something might have happened though. If she said she was going to Mia's then surely that was her intention"

"Lexie told me that Mia had invited her but Mia just said to me that she hasn't spoken to Lexie all day"

"Why would she lie?"

"I'd say because she didn't want me to know where she was really going"

After another hour Lexie still hadn't returned so now Rachel didn't know whether to go out and look for her herself or call the police.

Lexie could be anywhere and Rachel didn't know where to start looking.

In the end she decided to go to Lexie's Mum's house as this was the only place Rachel could think of that Lexie might have gone. If she wasn't there she thought she would call the police.

"I want to come with you" Olivia said

"No it's best if you stay here love. I'm going to ask Angela to come over while I'm gone. You can stay up until I get back though"

"I'm not going to bed until Lexie comes back" Olivia said with tears in her eyes

"I'm sure Lexie is going to be just fine, please don't worry Liv" Rachel said before wrapping her arms around Olivia

Rachel was just about to phone Angela when Rachel and Olivia both heard the front door close. They rushed out to the hallway straight away.

Lexie was there and it was obvious that she wasn't okay. She looked as pale as a ghost. Rachel wondered what on earth had happened and immediately feared the worst.

Rachel went over to the girl and guided her into the lounge as she seemed frozen to the spot by the front door.

"Lexie what's wrong? What's happened?" Rachel asked after getting Lexie sat down on the sofa

"I- I don't know what to do" Lexie eventually mumbled

Rachel signalled for Olivia to go upstairs. As much as she didn't want to because she wanted to know what had happened to Lexie, she also understood that Lexie would probably prefer to speak to Rachel alone.

Olivia went upstairs so Rachel turned her attention back to Lexie who was staring into space and not showing any emotion.

"You look like you've seen a ghost Lexie. Please tell me what's happened so I can help you"

"I don't know what to do" Lexie said again

"You're going to have to tell me what's happened Lexie or I can't help you. What is it you need to do something about?"

"My Mum"

"Have you… have you been to see your Mum?"

"She was at home"

"So is that where you've been?"

"I just needed to get something. I didn't know Mum was going to be there"

"Did she say where she's been?"

"I don't know. Maybe I should have gone yesterday instead"

Lexie wasn't being forthcoming with information at all.

"Well what did she say?"

"She didn't say anything"

"What was she doing?"

"She was lying on the sofa. She wasn't breathing"

It took a lot of questions but eventually Rachel managed to understand what had happened.

"Lexie are you trying to say that your Mum has passed away?"

"Yes. I stayed there with her for ages and I didn't know what to do. I came here but I don't know why, I'm not your problem"

"I'm so pleased you came here Lexie. You are my problem and I'm going to do whatever I can to help you"

Rachel cupped Lexie's face in her hands

"Listen to me, everything is going to be okay"

"I just left Mum lying there, I didn't know what do"

"It's okay Lexie. You don't need to do anything. I'm going to take care of it"

Lexie was so pale and also felt very clammy. She wasn't with it at all so Rachel laid her down and put a blanket over her.

"I'm going to make you a cup of tea Lexie. I'll be right back"

Rachel put the kettle on and rang 999. She had no idea how Lexie's Mum had died but right now finding out wasn't her priority.

The person she spoke to was really good and told her exactly what to do.

Once Rachel had made a cup of tea that was drinkable straight away she took it back through to Lexie who hadn't moved since Rachel had left the room and was still staring into space.

Rachel got Lexie to sit up and she had a few sips of the tea.

"A doctor is going to be going to your house to confirm that your Mum has passed away and then they're going to take her body away" Rachel said deciding to be as straight to the point as possible "do you want to see your Mum before she's taken away or do you want to stay here?"

"I don't want to go anywhere, I want to stay with you"

"That's absolutely fine Lexie. I'm not going to leave you. I can go with you to see your Mum if that's what you'd like"

"No I want to stay here"

"Okay, that's what we'll do"

Rachel then sat down next to Lexie and pulled her in for a hug.

Lexie still wasn't showing any emotion which was worrying Rachel.

Rachel looked over and noticed Olivia hovering at the door.

"Is Lexie okay?" Olivia asked when she saw Rachel looking at her

"Lexie's had a bit of a shock. Her Mum has passed away but she's going to be okay"

Olivia was shocked and didn't know what to say.

"I know it's a lot to take in. Come and have a cuddle if you want"

Olivia went and sat on the other side of Rachel.

"I feel sick" Lexie said suddenly

"Okay let's get you to the toilet" Rachel said before jumping straight to her feet and guiding Lexie into the downstairs toilet.

They got there just before Lexie was violently sick.

Rachel held her hair back and rubbed her back to comfort her as much as she could.

Once Lexie had finished she turned around and looked at Rachel. Lexie had a bit more colour in her cheeks now and looked less vacant.

Rachel pulled Lexie into her chest hoping that she might have a cry and let her emotions out. She didn't but she definitely seemed more with it than she had earlier.

"Is it okay if I go to bed now?" Lexie asked

"Of course it is if that's what you want to do. Why don't you go and get changed into your pyjamas and then I'll come up in a minute"

Olivia was sat in the lounge so Rachel went in and had a little chat with her.

Olivia felt worried about Lexie and also quite upset as it was making her think about the night her Mum died.

Rachel went and put Olivia into bed and told her to come and find her if she couldn't sleep before going to Lexie's room.

Lexie had changed into her pyjamas and was in bed.

"If you don't want to be on your own just now you don't have to be. I'm happy to stay up for as long as you want to. We can stay up all night if that's what you'd like or I can lie in bed with you"

"I want to get some sleep"

"Okay well you know where I am. It doesn't matter what time it is just come to me for anything"

"Thanks Rachel. I'm really sorry about all of this"

"Lexie you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. You're being so strong and you don't need to be"

"I'm fine. It's not like my life will be that different now, my Mum never has been there for me properly"

"She's still your Mum love, you're bound to be upset"

"I'm fine. I just want to get some sleep"

"Okay. Hope you sleep well. Please wake me up if you want anything"

"Night Rachel"

"Night night love"

Rachel left Lexie's bedroom and closed the door behind her. She wondered if Lexie would cry now that she was alone or if she was going to try and bury her emotions.

**Please review xxxx **


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the delay in updating this xxx **

The following morning Rachel woke up to the sound of her alarm. She'd had an awful nights sleep and imagined that Lexie probably had too.

Rachel had expected and also hoped that Lexie would have come through to her bedroom in the middle of the night for a bit of TLC.

Normally Rachel would have headed straight to the shower but this morning she decided to go and check on Lexie first. She was worried about the girl as she had been through so much the day before.

When Rachel went in Lexie was lying in her bed fast asleep. It was actually a relief for Rachel to know that she was still there and hadn't run off in the middle of the night.

Rachel quietly walked out of the bedroom, she closed the door before heading back to her own bedroom to get in the shower and begin the usual morning routine.

As usual time went by very quickly meaning that Rachel was rushing around so that she could get the girls to school on time.

"How come you're wearing jeans to work today Rachel?" Olivia asked

"I'm not going into work today love. I'm going to work from home and get some paper work done so I can look after Lexie"

"Why isn't Lexie going to school today? Is she poorly?" Daisy asked

Rachel was hoping to wait until Daisy got home from school later to tell her about what had happened to Lexie's Mum but now that she had asked Rachel didn't want to lie to her.

Rachel sat down next to Daisy.

"Lexie isn't going to school today because she's upset because her Mum passed away yesterday"

Daisy's face immediately crumbled at these words as it was clearly a very sensitive topic for her.

Rachel pulled Daisy in for a cuddle and when she looked over at Olivia realised that she was also crying.

"Oh Liv, come here" Rachel said before opening up her other arm so that she could give Olivia a cuddle too

"I know it's horrible girls but it's going to be okay. Lexie's got us and she'll get through it. You girls know how hard it is but you also know that you still have so many people that love and care about you"

"So will Lexie be living here forever now?" Daisy asked

"If that's what she would like then yes" Rachel replied

Daisy and Olivia were still cuddled into Rachel when Lexie came in wearing her school uniform.

"Rachel why didn't you wake me? I'm running really late now"

"I didn't think you'd be going to school today so I was letting you sleep"

"Why wouldn't I be going to school today?"

"Well because of what happened yesterday. I would have thought school would be the last thing you wanted to do today"

"I like school, I want to go"

"I really think it's best if you have a day at home today love"

"I don't want a day here, I want to go to school and see my friends"

"Okay if that's what you want" Rachel said as Lexie got herself a glass of water

"Liv, Daisy go and brush your teeth and make sure you're ready to leave for school in ten minutes"

Olivia and Daisy left the kitchen so Rachel went over to Lexie.

"You don't have to pretend that everything's okay Lexie. You had a massive shock yesterday. It's okay to not be okay" Rachel said as she gently placed her hand on Lexie's arm

"I'm fine, my Mum hasn't been around for months anyway so it doesn't really make a difference"

"Lexie. Your Mum passed away yesterday and even if your Mum hasn't always been the best Mum it's still going to hurt"

"I'm not upset, I'm fine" Lexie said before leaving Rachel stood in the kitchen alone

Rachel went upstairs and changed out of her jeans into some work clothes realising that she would be going to Waterloo Road for the day after all. She had been looking forward to not seeing Max all day.

Once Rachel had changed she quickly sprayed her perfume and put some lipstick on before gathering the girls up ready to go.

Rachel dropped Daisy off to school and had a quick word with Daisy's teacher. From working in a school herself she knew that the news that had upset Daisy this morning could make her upset or disruptive at school.

Rachel then drove onto Waterloo Road with Lexie and Olivia.

Lexie had wanted to walk but as it was raining Rachel had insisted she had a lift.

When they arrived Olivia and Lexie got straight out of the car ready to go off and find their friends.

"Hang on a second Lexie"

Lexie sighed before turning around to face Rachel. She wasn't in the mood to be fussed over today.

"You know where I am if you want me. If you change your mind about wanting to be at school at any moment just come and find me and I'll take you straight home"

"I'll be fine. Have a good day Rach"

"You too" Rachel said smiling weakly

Lexie went off to find her friends so Rachel made her way to her office.

It was a relief to not find Max in the office that they now seemed to share.

Rachel switched on her laptop and got on with some paperwork making the most of the peace. Whenever Max was in there too it made her feel uncomfortable and always took her twice as long to do anything.

Five minutes before the well was due to go Rachel made her way to the staff room. She wanted to inform all the teachers about Lexie's situation.

Everyone was really shocked when they found out but even more shocked when they realised Lexie was going to be in school today.

"Surely she'd be better off at your house today Rachel. School must be the last place she wants to be" Steph said

"I tried to persuade her not to come in but she was having none of it. If you notice the slightest of problem with Lexie send her to me or tell me right away. She's trying to hide from her feelings at the minute but I'm sure they will catch up to her at some point"

After the bell went Max made his way over to Rachel.

"I think you should have insisted Lexie stay at home today Rachel. She's probably going to end up causing a disruption and that's not fair on the other pupils"

"I'm doing what Lexie wants. She's just lost her Mum so I think she deserves to be able to have a choice and not forced to do something she doesn't want to"

Rachel didn't have time for Max's snide comments today so walked away before he could respond to her.

Rachel left the staff room and gathered Lexie's five best friends out of their form rooms before finding a quiet space to talk to them.

"I don't know if Lexie said anything to you this morning or not but sadly Lexie's Mum passed away last night and I thought you should know"

By the looks on the girls faces Rachel could tell Lexie hadn't told any of them. Rachel had a feeling this might be the case.

"Lexie seemed fine this morning. Well she was a bit quiet but who isn't first thing in the morning. I had no idea" Jess said

"She's putting on a brave face but I know she's hurting a lot deep down"

"There's no way I would be at school if it were my Mum. Poor Lexie, it's so awful" Abbey said sadly

"She insisted on coming to school today. Don't bring it up if Lexie doesn't but I just wanted you all to know so that you can be there if Lexie does need you. Please come and tell me girls if Lexie gets upset"

"We will miss"

Rachel stayed with the girls until the end of tutor period. They were all really upset by what Rachel had just said and needed a little while to process it.

After the bell for first period went the girls went off and Rachel went up to her office.

Jess and Abbey were in Lexie's tutor group. Lexie waited until they got back before walking to science for their first lesson as they were all in the same class.

Jess and Abbey came in and picked up their bags straight away.

"What was that all about? You were gone ages" Lexie asked

"Miss Mason just wanted to talk to us" Jess replied

"She told you about my Mum didn't she?"

"We're so sorry Lexie" Abbey said before wrapping her arms around Lexie and giving her a hug

Jess did the same once Abbey had stopped.

"We're here for whatever you need" Jess said

"Thanks but I'm fine. She was a crap Mum so I don't care"

"She was still your Mum though Lex, you must be upset" Abbey said

"I don't want to talk about it" Lexie suddenly snapped

"Okay we won't talk about it. But if you change your mind then we can" Jess said

Lexie ignored Jess' comment before making her way to the science block.

Abbey and Jess followed closely behind.

Mr Mead let them into the classroom so Lexie sat on her stool before getting her things out.

Lexie tried to concentrate but she found her mind kept wandering off.

This didn't go unnoticed by Mr Mead but he didn't make anything of it.

At the end of the lesson Mr Mead asked Lexie to stay behind.

Lexie sighed realising Rachel must have told all of the teachers still.

"I'm fine. Yes my Mum died yesterday but I'm fine. Why can't everyone just leave me alone" Lexie shouted before storming past everyone who was walking out of the classroom

Lexie headed to French and couldn't concentrate there either. At breaktime she spent the whole time in the toilets as she didn't want to be around anyone else. Part of her was wishing she hadn't come into school today after all.

After break Lexie had English so she made her way to Mr Clarkson's classroom.

Normally Lexie sat next to Amy in English but she didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment so sat on a table on her own at the back. She put her bag on the other chair as she was really hoping nobody would sit next to her.

Lexie was relieved when everyone had come in and nobody had sat down beside her.

Once again Lexie couldn't concentrate in English.

She couldn't stop the memories about her Mum that kept coming into her head.

Lexie was thinking back to a time when she was about 10 and she'd gone out with her Mum for a walk by this river. Nothing special had happened but Lexie could remember feeling really happy in that moment while they were walking along.

But then she remembered the night of that day when her Mum had gone out before they'd even had tea.

After a while Lexie got really hungry and didn't know when her Mum was coming back so she decided to make herself some beans on toast.

Just as it was ready Lexie's Mum and some man came into the house and made Lexie to jump causing Lexie to drop the plate and spill her tea all over the floor.

Her Mum shouted at her and after that Lexie had ended up going to bed with no tea.

Lexie hated thinking about all of the bad memories she had with her Mum but she couldn't seem to stop the memories from flooding back.

Mr Clarkson startled Lexie as he placed his hand on her arm.

"Lexie, why don't you step outside for a bit?"

It was only now that Lexie realised she was crying. The tears were running down her cheeks and she couldn't stop them.

Feeling really embarrassed, Lexie stood up and practically ran out of the classroom.

Mr Clarkson followed her out but by the time he got outside Lexie had run off.

He immediately went back into the classroom and sent Amy to find Rachel.

"Amy go and find Miss Mason and tell her Lexie's upset and has run off. The rest of you read the next chapter of Of Mice and Men"

Tom wanted to go and look for Lexie but he couldn't leave his class.

Amy rushed up to Rachel's office. Luckily she was in there so went straight in.

"Where's Lexie?" Rachel asked knowing Amy would be here about Lexie as soon as she saw the girl

"I don't know Miss. She was crying in English so Mr Clarkson told her she could go outside but then she ran off before he went out after her"

"Okay, thanks for letting me know Amy. I'll look for her now"

"I'll help you"

"No you need to get back to your lesson"

"She could be anywhere though Miss. We've got more chance of finding her if we both look" Amy said clearly very worried about her friend

"Okay but I want you to ring me as soon as you find her. I'll give you my number"

"I will"

"Right, I'm going to look in the English and languages block. You go to maths and science block and look around there"

Rachel and Amy split to try and find Lexie.

Tom saw Rachel through the window of his classroom so went out.

"Rachel have you found Lexie?" Tom asked as he caught up to Rachel

"No I've looked in the English toilets but she wasn't there. I'm going to head to the languages block"

"I should have been quicker. Do you want me to help you look?"

"No you need to stay with your class. Amy's helping me though. I'm sure Lexie just needs a bit of space"

"She looked really upset"

"Don't worry Tom, I'll let you know once I've found her"

"Thanks" Tom said before going back into his classroom

Rachel was heading to the French toilets when the bell went which definitely wasn't good timing.

Rachel had a quick look out of the window to see if she could see Lexie outside anywhere before heading to the French block.

She came across a group of year 7's stood outside of a classroom unsure of what to do.

"Miss there's someone crying in there. We don't know whether to go in or not" one girl said

Rachel looked in and saw Lexie at the back crying hysterically.

"No don't go in, you can go to the canteen. James and Harry stay here and tell Miss Lipsett and the rest of your class to go to the hall when they arrive

Rachel quickly called Amy to tell her that she'd found Lexie and to tell Mr Clarkson and then head to her next class. She then walked into the classroom and closed the door behind her.

"I'm sorry, I can't stop crying" Lexie said as Rachel sat down on the floor next to her

Rachel put her arm around Lexie and pulled her into her chest.

"You don't need to apologise for crying, just let it all out"

Lexie turned her head into Rachel and let the tears fall from her eyes.

She didn't know why she was crying so much but she just couldn't stop.

Rachel rubbed Lexie's back as she continued to cry.

"I didn't get chance to say goodbye to Mum. The last thing I said to her was that I wished she wasn't my Mum"

"Your Mum will have known you didn't mean it"

"How do you know?"

"She would just have been able to tell. You have a heart of gold Lexie so she would have known you'd only said it in the heat of the moment because you were angry"

"I can't believe I'm never going to see her again. I know she was a crap Mum but we did still have good times sometimes"

"I know you did and you'll always have those memories of her"

"Most of the memories I have are bad ones though"

"Just try not to think about those. Think about the times where you had fun and your Mum made you laugh or told you she loved you"

"Mum hardly ever told me she loved me"

"She might not have said it but I'm sure she loved you so much. Just like so many other people do. You are surrounded by people who care about you so much Lexie so you don't need to go through all of this alone"

"I was horrible to my friends earlier. They were trying to be nice but I kept shutting them out"

"They'll understand. For now though how about we head home. I'll run you a nice hot bath and then maybe you could try and have a nap because I'm guessing you didn't get much sleep last night"

"I hardly slept at all"

Lexie pulled away from Rachel and wiped away her tears.

"I'm sorry I've got your top all wet" Lexie said after noticing the wet patches she'd made on Rachel's blouse

"That doesn't matter in the slightest"

Rachel and Lexie both stood up.

"Are you ready to go now?" Rachel asked and Lexie nodded

"Okay I'll go and get my things from my office and then we'll head off. Where's your bag?"

"I left it in Mr Clarkson's classroom"

"Okay let's go and find him and get it"

"I don't want anyone to see me, I must look a right state"

"You just look like someone who's upset. Don't worry, everyone should be in lessons now so we shouldn't see anyone much"

They went to Mr Clarkson's classroom and Lexie waited outside while Rachel went into get her bag. They then went to get Rachel's stuff before Rachel drove them home.

When they got in Rachel ran a bath for Lexie. She shouted when it was ready however Lexie didn't come up.

Rachel went to look for Lexie and found her in the lounge looking at a photo Rachel had recently printed off of her, Lexie, Olivia and Daisy and put in a frame.

Lexie was going to miss living with Rachel, Olivia and Daisy so much. She'd only been staying with Rachel for a few months but they all seemed like family to her now. She'd finally got the chance to feel part of a family but now she had to go back to feeling alone again which she really didn't want.

"Your bath's ready love"

"Thanks Rachel"

Lexie put the photo back before slowly going up the stairs. She didn't have the energy to move quickly.

Lexie ended up staying in the bath for a long time but eventually got out when the water started to go cold.

She changed into some clean pyjamas before climbing into bed.

Rachel came into check on her.

"Are you going to try and have a nap?"

"Yeah I don't think I'll be able to but I'm going to try"

"Okay I'll leave you to it. Just come and get me if there's anything you want or if you want some company"

"Aren't you going back to school?"

"No I'm going to do some paperwork here for the rest of the afternoon"

"Would you maybe lie with me for a bit? You don't have to stay for long"

"Of course I will. I'll stay for as long as you'd like me to"

Rachel climbed into bed next to Lexie and laid down next to her.

"I don't want to go into care" Lexie suddenly said

"You aren't going into care my love, don't you worry"

"I'm not old enough to live by myself, I'll be forced to"

"Nobody's expecting you to live on your own or go into care. You can continue to live at my house like you have been for the last couple of months, that doesn't need to change"

"Why would you let me do that?"

"Because I care about you Lexie. You've been through so much and I want to be there for you, there's no way I'm letting you go into the system"

"I love you Lexie" Rachel said truthfully after Lexie burst into tears and hadn't said anything

From the sounds of it Lexie had an awful childhood and hadn't been told that she was loved enough. Rachel had grown extremely close to Lexie and really did mean what she'd just said.

Lexie looked at her head teacher shocked and touched by what she had just said.

"Would you really want me to live with you?"

"Of course I would. I love having you around the house and I know for a fact that Olivia and Daisy really do too"

"I don't want to get in the way"

"You won't. I know we aren't a conventional family but that's what I see the three of you as now, my family"

This just made Lexie cry harder. She'd never been shown so much love and warmth before.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, I didn't mean to make you cry even more"

"I just assumed I'd have to move out of here and I really didn't want to because I love it here. These have been the best couple of months of my life"

"You can stay for as long as you want to. I'm sure the next few months are going to be really difficult but I'm here for you"

"Thank you. I'll be okay though"

"I'm sure you will but whatever you do please keep talking to me about how you're feeling"

Lexie didn't reply to Rachel. She didn't know how well that would go. Talking about how she was feeling had never been something Lexie was good at and she couldn't imagine that changing anytime soon.

Rachel and Lexie fell into a comfortable silence and after a while Lexie did fall asleep.

Rachel was relieved that Lexie had confided in her and hadn't tried to hide her emotions.


	9. Chapter 9

A few weeks had passed since Lexie's Mum passed away. Lexie had been surprised at how much of an affect it had had on her. She felt extremely lucky to have had so much support from Rachel and all of her friends at school.

Lexie had never felt so cared about. As sad as she was about her Mum, she couldn't help but feel relieved that she was finally being looked after properly and still felt like this was all too good to be true.

Rachel had had a particularly bad day today and couldn't wait to get out of Waterloo Road for the weekend.

Lexie had netball training after school so Rachel waited for Olivia to come up to her office before the two of them left to go and get Daisy from school.

"How was your day love?"

"Good thanks. How was your day?"

"It was okay. I'm ready to relax for a bit tonight though"

"Me too" Olivia said before they fell into a comfortable silence

"Is everything okay Liv?" Rachel asked after a while thinking that Olivia seemed a bit quiet and not herself

"Yeah I'm just tired that's all"

"Me too. We'll have a nice early night tonight and then hopefully we'll both feel a bit better"

They got to Daisy's primary school and Olivia decided to wait in the car while Rachel went into get Daisy.

Daisy had been on a school trip today so her class were a bit late coming out as they'd got stuck in traffic on the way back to school. Rachel didn't mind too much because she was chatting to some of the other school Mum's.

Rachel was looking forward to seeing Daisy and hearing all about it as she knew how much she'd been looking forward to going. It was a surprise to see Daisy walking out of school looking really upset.

Daisy looked like she was close to tears but Rachel knew she wouldn't want a fuss made in front of her school friends so gave Daisy's hand a tight squeeze before quickly saying goodbye to the ladies she was stood with and walking back to the car with Daisy.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Rachel asked once they'd walked out of the school gates

Daisy didn't say anything but she burst into tears so Rachel stopped and went to the side before wrapping her arms around Daisy.

"Nothing"

"It doesn't look like nothing to me, you wouldn't be crying like this if there was nothing wrong"

"I don't want to talk about it"

"Okay that's fine if you don't want to talk about it love. Let's get home huh?"

Rachel got a tissue out of her bag and wiped the tears off Daisy's face before the two of them walked to the car.

Olivia instantly noticed Daisy's tearstained face so was of course worried about her sister. She always had been very protective over Daisy but had been even more so since their Mum passed away.

"What's wrong Dais?" Olivia asked as soon as Daisy got into the car

"Nothing"

"Yes there is, you've been crying"

"No I haven't"

"Have you had a fall out with your friends?"

"Just leave me alone" Daisy shouted so Olivia turned back around and faced the front

"Just let her be love" Rachel said quietly as she put her hand on Olivia's leg

Both girls were in a mood in the car on the way home. Rachel wanted to cheer them both up so that they could enjoy the evening.

Rachel parked up on the drive so they all got out of the car. Rachel unlocked the door and Olivia and Daisy both went straight upstairs to their bedrooms.

Rachel decided to give them both a bit of time on their own. She unpacked Daisy's school stuff and made herself a cup of tea before going up to her bedroom to get changed.

Once she was changed Rachel went to Daisy's bedroom.

Daisy had pushed the door so it was nearly closed so Rachel opened the door and walked in. She found Daisy lying on her bed in floods of tears.

Rachel went over and scooped Daisy up into her arms before sitting on the bed and rocking Daisy like a baby.

She didn't say anything for a while and just let Daisy have a cry.

"It's not nice being on your own when you're upset. You should have come to find me. Are you ready to tell me what's wrong now?"

"I don't want to" Daisy cried

"Okay that's fine if you don't want to. How about we sit here and cuddle for a bit longer?"

Daisy nodded her head so Rachel carried on holding Daisy close to her.

Rachel had loads of things that needed doing but being there for Daisy was much more important.

Daisy felt a lot better just for being snuggled up to Rachel. She always found the smell of Rachel's perfume and creams really comforting.

"Rachel do you think I'm stupid?"

"No of course I don't because you're not. What makes you think that?"

"Bethany in my class kept saying I was today. She kept talking about loads of things that I didn't know about"

"Nobody knows everything love. I'm sure there's loads of things that you know about, that she doesn't. Take no notice of her, you are most definitely not stupid"

"I am stupid because I only got 5 on my spelling test last week"

"That was my fault Daisy. I completely forgot to help you learn them before" Rachel said. She felt really guilty about it and couldn't help but think that everything that was going on with Max was starting to have an effect on the girls now. She knew she needed to do something to stop it

"I should just know though"

"You can't just know something. You have to learn it first. It was only one test though darling, most weeks you get 10 out of 10"

Daisy was still crying and was looking down at her lap.

"Look at my Daisy"

Slowly, Daisy lifted her head up so she was looking at Rachel.

"Is that all that's upsetting you? Or is there something else you want to tell me about?" Rachel asked thinking Daisy seemed very upset over it

"Not really"

"Has Bethany been doing other things that have upset you?"

Daisy didn't say anything for a few moments but then nodded.

"What else has she been doing?" Rachel asked as she took hold of Daisy's hand supportively

"She just kept laughing at everything I said today so in the end I just stopped saying anything. And at lunchtime she kept pulling Millie away from me and running off. On the way home I was meant to be sitting with Millie on the bus but then she sat with Bethany instead so I had to sit all on my own" Daisy said

"It sounds to me like you've had a bit of a rubbish day my love" Rachel said as she rubbed Daisy's back

"I have" Daisy said with tears rolling down her cheeks

"Bethany hasn't been very nice but the thing is sometimes children can be a bit mean. Most of the time they don't mean to upset anyone but they don't realise how much they actually are"

"She didn't need to be mean. We could have played together the three of us"

"I know you could have. I'm sure things will be better tomorrow and you'll have a good day at school"

"How do you know?"

"Well I don't know but if Bethany is still being mean go and play with some of your other friends"

"I always play with Millie though"

"I know you do, but you've got lots of other friends too"

"I guess"

"And if you feel upset again then I want you to tell your teacher about it, okay?"

"I don't want to do that"

"But it's better than feeling all upset isn't it? She'll probably just take Bethany outside for a few words and make her realise that what she's doing is upsetting you"

"Okay, but hopefully she won't be mean tomorrow"

Daisy was starting to seem a bit happier which Rachel was pleased about.

"Let's hope not. Can I tell you something now Daisy?"

Daisy nodded her head.

"I haven't had a very good day today either. Someone was being a bit mean to me too"

"Who?"

"That doesn't matter. I'm just going to forget about it for tonight and hope that tomorrow things will be better"

"If they're still being mean tomorrow you should tell someone so they can stop the other person being mean"

"I think you're right there love. Anyway why don't you changed out of your uniform and then we can do something before I cook tea"

"Can we practice my spellings?"

"Of course we can. Here, let me sort your face out first"

Rachel got a tissue out of the box on Daisy's bedside cabinet before wiping away Daisy's tears. Once she was sorted, Daisy started to get changed.

"I'm just going to see Liv quickly. If you come downstairs when you're changed and we'll practice your spellings"

"Okay"

Rachel then went through to Olivia's bedroom. She was laying on her bed on her phone.

"What are you doing love?"

"I'm just lying on my bed, what does it look like?" Olivia replied with a bit of attitude

"What are you doing on your phone?"

"Just on Instagram"

"Right. Well I was just coming in to check you're definitely alright. You seem a bit quiet"

"Everyone's a bit quiet once in a while. Just stop going on at me" Olivia snapped

"Okay I'll leave you to it then" Rachel said realising that Olivia probably needed a bit of space at the minute

Rachel then went downstairs and spent some time with Daisy practicing her spellings.

After a while Rachel made a start on tea.

She was cutting up some potatoes to make some wedges when Lexie got home.

"Hiya love, how was your day?"

"It was good thank you, how about yours?" Lexie replied as she got herself a glass of water

"It wasn't too bad. How was netball?"

"Tiring and I forgot my water bottle today, I'm so thirsty"

"Tea will be ready in about 45 minutes"

"Okay, what are we having?"

"Salmon and wedges and I'll do some veg too"

"Yum, I'm going to go up for a shower now"

Once tea was ready, Rachel called Lexie and Olivia down.

Olivia was still being quiet but she wasn't as snappy as she'd been with Rachel earlier. Rachel still couldn't think there was something up with her.

After tea, Rachel gave Daisy a bath before letting her watch the TV for a bit. Whilst she was watching, Rachel got her laptop out to do some work. Lexie and Olivia were both up in their bedrooms.

Rachel put Daisy up to bed at about 7 before putting on her pyjamas and a dressing gown and then coming downstairs and pouring herself a glass of red wine. She didn't normally drink in the week but she certainly felt like she needed it today.

As she sat at the kitchen table and did some work, she realised she needed to make some changes. Mid-week drinking was becoming a far too regular occurrence and it was a habit she definitely wanted to break.

Rachel was half way through her glass of wine when someone knocked on the door.

Rachel wondered who it was so got up to go and answer it. She couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive as their knock had sounded quite aggressive.

Rachel wrapped her dressing gown around herself a bit tighter. After slowly opening the front door, Rachel was shocked when she saw Max stood on the other side. It was also obvious that Max was drunk. He started to threaten Rachel after she'd told Kim that he was still married.

Rachel felt really vulnerable stood there in her dressing down and tried really hard to get rid of him.

As Max continued to threaten Rachel's heart began to race faster and faster. She just wanted him out of her house, especially as the girls were upstairs.

When Max finally left Rachel closed the door as quickly as she could behind him and locked it straight away.

Rachel felt so shaken up and immediately found herself picking up her phone and calling Eddie.

She hadn't really thought about what she was doing until Eddie picked up the phone.

Rachel tried to say that she'd called him by mistake but Eddie could tell straight away that something was up with Rachel.

"I can tell when you're upset about something Rach, like you are now. Just tell me what's wrong"

Rachel sat at the table and started to tell Eddie all about the problems she was having with Max, as tears began to roll down her cheeks. There was no-one that Rachel found easier to talk to than Eddie.

Little did she know, Lexie and Olivia had come downstairs after hearing someone shouting at the front door.

They didn't know what to do when they heard Rachel in floods of tears. They knew they probably should have gone upstairs, but being as nosy as they were they decided to stay down and listen to what Rachel was saying.

They both hated seeing Rachel so upset. They knew Rachel was having a hard time with Max but they had no idea just how bad it really was.

Lexie looked over at Olivia and saw that she was crying, clearly very worried about Rachel. Lexie wrapped her arm around Olivia; the two girls had grown really close.

Rachel finished telling Eddie everything had been going on with Max but was starting to think it was a mistake. Afterall, her problems were nothing to do with him anymore.

"Eddie I'll be fine. Honestly there's no need for you to come over" Rachel said to Eddie who had said he was coming straight round

"I'm not taking no for an answer Rach. I'm coming over now, I'm not going to let you be on your own when you're so upset"

"I'm not on my own"

"Rachel, what you need is some adult support. I'll be 15 minutes" Eddie said sounding quite firm and before Rachel knew it he'd hung up on her

Although Rachel hated the fact she'd turned to Eddie the moment something bad had happened, she had to admit she was glad that Eddie was on his way over.

Rachel was still letting out the occasional sniffle so Lexie and Olivia went and stood in front of her.

Not wanting the girls to see that she was upset, Rachel immediately wiped away her tears.

It didn't take her long to realise that Olivia was crying.

"What's up Liv?" Rachel asked but Olivia didn't know what to say

"We heard you on the phone Rach, I think Olivia's upset because you're so upset"

"I'm so sorry girls, I didn't know you could hear me. The last thing I want to do is make you all upset" Rachel said as she wrapped her arm around Olivia

"You don't have to say sorry. I can't believe what you've been through with Max. Why haven't you told someone?"

"I can handle it Lex. Don't you worry about me, I'll sort it" Rachel said although she didn't sound convincing

"You should report him so he gets fired Rachel" Olivia said

"I wish it was that simple"

"How is it not?" Lexie asked

"I have no evidence to prove what he's doing"

"They'd take your word for it"

"I'm sure Max would fight his way out of it and then things would only be worse"

"I heard someone shouting downstairs. I came down to see what was going on but by the time I got down you were on the phone so I didn't want to interrupt"

"I was on the phone to Eddie" Rachel admitted "I was so scared when Max was here and I guess I was worried I wouldn't be able to protect you three. So I was a bit shaken up and I called Eddie. He's coming over now, but honestly girls I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me. Everything is going to be just fine"

Lexie and Olivia spent the rest of the time before Eddie arrived trying to persuade Rachel that she needed to report Max.

When the doorbell went Rachel asked Lexie and Olivia to go upstairs so she could speak to Eddie alone.

"I promise I'll come up and see you soon" Rachel said

Olivia and Lexie went upstairs so Rachel went to answer the door.

She checked it was definitely Eddie before opening the door.

Eddie smiled at her as he stood on the other side of the door with a bottle of wine in his hand.

"I reckon you could do with a glass of this" Eddie said holding up the bottle

"I've already had a glass, come on in. I'm so sorry about all of this Eddie, I shouldn't have called"

Eddie stepped inside and Rachel closed the door.

"I'm so glad you did. I only wish you'd called sooner" Eddie said as the two of them walked through to the kitchen

"You must have your hands full with the baby" Rachel said as Melissa had given birth to a baby boy about a month ago

Eddie didn't respond to this.

Rachel poured another glass of wine for herself and one for Eddie before the two of them went into the lounge and sat on the sofa.

Eddie touched the small of Rachel's back and Rachel couldn't help but burst into tears all over again. The feelings that she'd been bottling up were all coming out now.

Rachel fell into Eddie's warm embrace and he held her while she cried.

Once Rachel had calmed down, they had a fairly long conversation and Eddie managed to knock some sense into her. Rachel realised that she really needed to put a stop to what Eddie was doing. Not just for her, but for all of her pupils.

"So first thing tomorrow you're going to tell the governors exactly what has happened, right?"

"Yes I will"

"And you're not just saying that to shut me up?"

"No, I need to do this. It's the right thing to do for everyone and you've made me realise that"

"You could have talked to me about this before you know. I know we're not together anymore, but I'm still here for you if you need me Rach"

"You've got enough to be dealing with, you've got Melissa and a new born baby to look after. You don't need me to look after as well"

"They aren't my problem Rach" Eddie said as his face suddenly turned very serious

"Well I know Melissa can look after herself but I know looking after a baby takes up a lot of time and energy"

"He's not my baby Rach" Eddie said whilst looking down at the floor

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Melissa lied. The real father turned up about a week ago demanding to see his baby. Melissa ended up having to tell the truth so I demanded a paternity test. I'm not the father"

Rachel was speechless. She never thought Melissa would do something like this.

"I'm so sorry Eddie, I know Melissa is a pain in the butt sometimes but I definitely didn't think she was capable of doing something like this"

Now it was Rachel's turn to comfort Eddie. There wasn't much she could say but Eddie was so grateful to finally be talking to Rachel about this. He'd picked up the phone so many times to ring but had chickened out each time as he felt he didn't deserve her support.

The two of them carried on talking for ages and drinking a fair bit of wine.

Suddenly, Rachel realised how long Eddie had been over for and felt bad for not going to see Olivia sooner.

"I need to go and check on Liv, she was upset earlier because she heard me crying on the phone to you. I won't be long"

When Rachel stood up she realised she was feeling quite tipsy and definitely needed to stop drinking before she woke up with a hangover the next day.

Eddie wondered if Rachel was hoping he would leave now but Eddie didn't want this time to end, so he stayed sat on the sofa while Rachel went upstairs.

Rachel told Lexie and Olivia her plan to tell the governors everything tomorrow which they were both extremely relieved about.

Olivia was ready to go to sleep by this point so Rachel tucked her up in bed and sat with her for a while

"I know you think I'm going on but I really am worried about you, you haven't seemed yourself tonight. I'll just ask one more time though and then I promise I'll stop, are you sure you're okay?"

"I promise I'm fine, I really am just tired"

before going back down with Eddie.

When Rachel got back downstairs, Eddie was still sat on the sofa.

"So Mel hasn't told you any of this then?" Eddie asked

"I haven't had much contact with Mel recently. I saw Jacob when he was a couple of days old but I haven't seen them since. I still find it difficult to see Mel without thinking how different things could be if it wasn't for her"

Rachel and Eddie ended up getting into a deep conversation about their relationship. After another hour of talking Rachel found herself kissing Eddie.

The kiss lasted a little while before Rachel pulled away. She couldn't believe she'd just let that happen.

"You should go Eddie, it's getting late"

"What now? Don't you want to talk about what just happened?"

"There's nothing to talk about"

"It didn't seem like nothing to me"

"Eddie I really appreciate you coming over tonight for me but I really think you should go now"

Eddie knew when to give Rachel space so he got up to leave. He knew she needed time to process what had just happened and what they'd talked about tonight

"That shouldn't have happened. I know how hard things must be for you at the minute though, so if you do want to talk again then let me know. We can have another talk, as friends" Rachel said

"I'll call you tomorrow Rach"

Eddie left so Rachel locked up and went upstairs to bed. She tried to go to sleep but she had so many thoughts whizzing around her head.


	10. Chapter 10

**Warning: this chapter is centred around suicide. Please don't read if it will upset you. **

Admitting that she'd been bullied by Max Tyler, was the best thing Rachel could have done. Everyone had been so supportive and believed everything she'd said. Rachel just wished she'd done it sooner as she was so much happier now. She was back in control of Waterloo Road and able to put her focus into what really mattered; the pupils.

Rachel and the girls had had a really nice weekend together but were now getting ready for another week of school.

As usual it was a bit of a rush trying to get out of the door but eventually they managed it only five minutes later than planned.

Rachel dropped Daisy at breakfast club before driving to Waterloo Road with Lexie and Olivia.

"I had a text from Angela saying she's got to work a double shift so Mia's going to stay with us tonight"

"Okay cool" Lexie said excited to have Mia over to stay on a school night

Once Rachel had parked up, she said goodbye to Lexie and Olivia before making her way up to her office.

A few pupils had started arriving already but it was still quite early.

Rachel got on with some paperwork. She was surprised hen she saw the time and realised she'd already been at work for an hour.

Rachel got up from her desk to stretch her legs and made herself a cup of coffee. When she got back to her desk she saw she had a text from Eddie saying how much he was looking forward to seeing her tonight.

The pair of them were meeting tonight to talk about where they stood. Since their kiss a few weeks ago Rachel had said she needed time to think but now she felt she was ready to talk to Eddie about it all.

Rachel didn't have time to reply though as Bridget popped her head around the door to say there were two police officers here to see her.

"Okay send them in, thanks Bridget"

Two police officers turning up at the school was never a good sign so Rachel immediately felt worried about what they were going to say.

A female and male officer walked into Rachel's office. Both of them had very serious expressions which only heightened Rachel's worry.

Rachel closed the office door and gestured for the police officers to sit down.

"Miss Mason, I'm afraid we have some news concerning Isabella Jones. We believe she's a pupil here?"

Isabella was a very confident and outgoing year 9 pupil. Though recently she'd seemed very subdued and not herself at all.

"Yes that's right. What's happened to Izzy?"

"I'm afraid to have to say that Izzy's Mum found her dead on Saturday morning"

Rachel couldn't believe the words that had just come out of the police officer's mouth.

It took a while before Rachel could form a sentence to reply.

"What happened?"

"We believe she took an overdose"

"She committed suicide?"

"I'm afraid so"

Rachel sat down. She felt sick to her stomach after what she'd just been told.

"We realise this is a massive shock. If you want a few minutes before we talk, that's fine"

"I'm okay. Is it okay if I get a couple of other members of staff up here? I think they should be up here for this"

"Of course"

Rachel asked Bridget to get Chris and Kim up to her office straight away.

After five minutes Kim and Chris were both up in Rachel's office. They were equally as shocked and sad as Rachel after hearing the news.

"Were you aware of any issues Izzy was having at school?"

"She's been quieter than usual but I haven't noticed anything too serious" Kim replied

"Do you know if she was being bullied?"

"Not as far as I'm aware"

"We've spoken to a couple of Izzy's friends who told us that she was being bullied online and was having a lot of problem with trolls"

"I had no idea. If I did I would have tried to help" Rachel said

"Izzy's parents were unaware too. Izzy made her friends not to tell them because she didn't want to worry them"

The police officer went through the details with Rachel, Kim and Chris.

Rachel's eyes were filled with tears. The thought of one of her pupils struggling so much she thought her only option was to end her own life was unbearable.

"Have you spoken to Izzy's parents about whether they're happy for us to tell her year group?" Rachel asked beginning to think about how they were going to handle things in school today

"Yes, they've given permission for you to do so. They've also said they think it's important they're told the truth"

"Okay. I'll get in touch with her parents and say they're welcome to come in for a chat, when they're ready. Is it okay if I tell them today?"

"That would be best. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the news will get into the school anyway"

The police officers asked all the questions they needed to before leaving.

Rachel, Chris and Kim sat down to figure out the best approach for today.

"How's best to do it? Should we get the year 9 form tutors to tell their tutor groups?" Kim suggested

"No I think it's best I tell them in an assembly. There's no need to put several members of staff through having to find the words to tell them the awful news. We'll inform the staff at breaktime and then call an emergency assembly for the year 9s in third period. Kim, I know Izzy was extremely close with Beth and Gemma. Is there anyone else, I'm thinking we should tell any of her close friends not in the assembly, although I'm imaging it's Beth and Gemma that spoke to the police so they probably already know"

"She's… was… a very popular girl and mixed with a lot of people but I think Beth and Gemma were the only two she was really close with"

"Okay. I'll ask Bridget to send them up to me now and we can speak to them before break"

"Everyone's going to be devastated. It's going to be awful for them having to be in school today" Chris said

"I know but we don't have a choice. It's too short notice to send them home"

"What advice are we going to give to the staff?" Kim asked

"We'll tell them to not bother with any year 9 lessons today and to just allow the pupils to have the time to talk to one another in their classrooms. They'll need to look out carefully for anyone who is extremely upset so that we can give them support and there may be a few who will need to be collected by their parents"

After Rachel, Chris and Kim had sorted out the plan Rachel asked Bridget to get Beth and Gemma.

Bridget looked to see which classes they were in.

"Beth and Gemma are both absent today" Bridget informed her

"Okay, thanks Bridget" Rachel said. She wasn't surprised that neither of them were in school. She knew they were going to have a hard time dealing with this and would need a lot of support when they returned to school

"One more thing Bridget. Can you email all teachers telling them to come to the staffroom at breaktime and make sure they realise it's important"

"Of course, Miss Mason"

Rachel spent the rest of second period trying to figure out what on earth she was going to say. By the time break time came around she still had no idea how she was going to find the words to tell Izzy's friends and peers what had happened.

After telling the staff at break time, Rachel made her way to the assembly hall and waited for the year 9 classes to come into the hall.

Rachel watched as they started to walk in, all blissfully unaware of what had happened. There was a lot of chatter as everyone wondered why they'd been called for an emergency assembly.

Once the classes were all in the hall Rachel stood at the front of the stage.

"I'm afraid the reason I've called this assembly is absolutely terrible. What I'm about to tell you is going to come as a massive shock but I want you to know that all of the staff here are going to give you all the support they can" Rachel said

The pupil's faces all turned incredibly serious wondering what their head mistress could be about to tell them.

Rachel knew now she just needed to come out and say it but she was struggling to say the words.

"Do you want me to say it?" Chris whispered who was stood next to her

"It's okay, I've got it. Thank you" Rachel replied quietly

She couldn't hold off any longer. She just needed to say it.

"I'm so sorry to have to tell you that Izzy Jones passed away at the weekend; she took an overdose and ended her own life. I was unaware of this until this morning, but Izzy was being bullied and trolled online and they think that's the reason she did it" Rachel said with tears in her eyes

The room was filled with complete silence. Nobody knew what to say.

"I know you've probably got a lot of questions and we're going to do our best to answer all of them. Izzy's parents don't want us to hide anything from you; they think you should know the truth"

Rachel was struggling to speak so Kim stepped in.

"We're going to send you back to your classes in a minute but there won't be any lessons taking place for you today. Use the time to speak to each other and let yourselves be upset. Don't be afraid to show how you're feeling. If you feel you can't be in the classroom, let your teacher know and they'll send you to Miss Mason, Mr Mead or myself and we'll talk to you or find you a quiet place to go"

Rachel watched as the pupils left the hall. Nobody was speaking and they all looked absolutely devastated.

"What are we going to do about the rest of the school?" Kim asked once they'd all left

"I guess they all need to know too. I'll have to call another assembly for them"

"I can do it Rachel. Then you can concentrate on year 9s" Chris said knowing how much Rachel had struggled with that one. It wasn't fair on her to do have to do another one

"Thanks Chris, I really appreciate it"

Rachel spent the rest of the day talking to the year 9s to answer their questions and try as best as she could to comfort them. She'd also had a lot of discussions around having a memorial service in school for Izzy. A few of the year 9 girls ended up in states meaning they had to be collected from school early by their parent's.

Rachel had to admit she was relieved when the school bell went. Today had been exhausting and she couldn't wait to get home. She knew the next couple of weeks would be difficult and she was going to do everything she could to be there for the pupils.

Mia was the first to come up to Rachel's office after the bell went.

Rachel looked up and it looked as though she'd been crying.

"Mia, are you okay?" Rachel asked sounding concerned

"Yeah, I'm fine"

"Really? Because you don't look it"

"I just can't stop thinking about Izzy. I didn't know her that well but she's been to a few parties that I've been at recently and I've spoken to her a few times. It's just so awful, I can't believe what she was going through" Mia said before bursting into tears

Rachel immediately engulfed her into a hug.

"I know, it's absolutely awful"

It wasn't long before Lexie and Olivia walked into the office together so Mia pulled away and wiped away her tears.

Olivia had been to see Rachel earlier as she'd got a bit upset about had happened. She hadn't seen Lexie yet though.

"How are you girls doing? I know today's been an awful day"

"I can't believe it. It's such a shock" Lexie said

"I know. I really wasn't expecting that today was going to be such an awful day. Come on, let's get home"

They went to collect Daisy from school before driving home.

"I need to go home to pack my stuff" Mia said once they were out of the car

"Okay, why don't you go with her Lexie?" Rachel suggested as Mia still seemed really upset and Rachel didn't want her staying at home on her own all upset

Lexie and Mia went to get Mia's stuff so Rachel went inside with Olivia and Daisy.

Olivia went straight upstairs to change out of her uniform and Daisy went into the kitchen as she wanted a snack.

Rachel cut up an apple and put it on a plate with some Maryland cookies for Daisy.

"I'm just going to change out of my work clothes Daisy" Rachel said to Daisy before going upstairs

Rachel went up to her bedroom and shut the door before calling Eddie. The last thing she wanted to do tonight was go out for a meal with Eddie.

It didn't take long for Rachel to pick up.

"Hi Rachel, how are you?"

"I'm… ok. How about you?"

"Good thanks. I can't wait to see you tonight"

"About that Eddie…" Rachel started but Eddie cut in

"Please don't cancel our plans. We really need to talk. I understand you're nervous but…"

Now it was Rachel's turn to cut in.

"I'm not ringing to cancel on you Eddie. I've had an awful day and I don't think I can face going out tonight so I was going to ask if you would mind coming over here instead?"

"Oh, I see. Of course not, that's fine"

"Thank you. I'm sure we can still find a chance to talk with no kids around"

"Why was your day awful?" Eddie asked

Rachel told Eddie about what had happened. She'd spent a lot of the day wishing Eddie was there to help her deal with everything.

After speaking with Eddie Rachel started to change out of her work clothes.

She was halfway through changing when Daisy came in.

"Rachel why are you taking so long to get changed? You came up here ages ago"

"Sorry love, I had to phone Eddie first"

Daisy sat on Rachel's bed while she finished getting changed.

"You know I was meant to be going out for tea tonight, so Lexie and Mia were going to look after you?"

"Yeah"

"Well I'm not going out anymore. Eddie's coming over instead"

"Why?"

"I just don't feel much like going out, I'm feeling a bit tired. Anyway do you want to put a film on in the lounge? I'll come in and watch it with you once I've done a few jobs"

"I'll go and choose one"

"Don't wait for me to start it"

Rachel didn't really intend on doing any jobs. She wanted to speak with Lexie, Mia and Olivia about what had happened.

She found the three girls and asked them all to come into the kitchen.

Rachel quickly checked that Daisy was settled before going into the kitchen and closing the door behind her.

"I know none of you were in Izzy's year but I just wanted to check how you're all doing? I know today's been horrible"

Lexie and Olivia both started talking with Rachel but Mia remained quiet. She still looked really upset.

"Do you want me to phone your Mum Mia and ask her to come home?"

"She has to work"

"I know. But if you're upset I'm sure she'd be able to leave. Your Mum would want to be there for you"

"I'll be okay. I just can't stop thinking about it and imagining her in her room… you know when she did it"

"Try not to imagine it. I don't think she would have felt any pain"

"What if she changed her mind but then it was too late?" Olivia asked

"That's not worth thinking about. Izzy was in a really bad place but what she should have done is talked to someone. That probably would have made the difference" Rachel said sadly

"Why didn't she?" Mia asked

"She didn't want her parents to worry but it got too much for her to handle on her own"

"We watched some of her videos earlier, the comments are horrific. I didn't even know she had a YouTube channel" Lexie said

"People seem to be a lot braver with what they say to people when they're behind a computer screen." Rachel said

"The things they were saying aren't even true. Izzy was so pretty and nice" Mia said

Rachel was glad that Mia was starting to talk through how she was feeling

"I know. I don't understand how people can be so mean. If anyone is horrible to you online, well or in person, I want you to come and tell me straightaway. Well it doesn't have to be me, but make sure you tell someone" Rachel said and all three girls nodded in agreement

"Talking is so important. There's nothing that can't be dealt with. No matter what happens, there is never any reason to end your own life. No matter how bad things seem, it will always get better"

Rachel really wanted to have this conversation with the girls to make sure they knew that no matter what situation they ever got into, ending their life was never the answer.

After talking with the girls, they all went into the lounge and watched the film with Daisy. Luckily, Daisy hadn't found out about what had happened.

After a while Eddie arrived so Rachel went and let him in.

He'd brought wine so Rachel went and got them both a glass before they went back into the lounge.

"I really don't feel like cooking tonight. Is Chinese alright with everyone?" Rachel asked but she knew they'd all be delighted with a Chinese

After deciding on what they wanted Rachel phoned up to order it.

By the time they'd eaten everyone was really full and they still had loads left. Rachel always managed to order too much when they had a takeaway.

"You do this every time Rach" Eddie said laughing

"Yeah well it's nice to have a variety, isn't it? You can take some and have leftovers for lunch tomorrow"

"I might just do that"

After tea Lexie and Mia headed upstairs and Daisy and Olivia both went into the lounge.

"Rach, can we talk now?" Eddie asked once they'd cleared up

He was dying to know what Rachel was thinking. Eddie knew that he would get back together with Rachel in a heartbeat but he had no idea if she would do the same. Especially now, he knew she'd be thinking about the girls as well as herself.

"Okay. I think Olivia and Daisy are in the lounge so are you happy to sit out here?"

"Fine by me" Eddie said before taking a seat at the breakfast bar

Rachel nervously went and sat by Eddie. She knew what she was going to say but she couldn't help but be scared that it was the wrong decision.

"How are you doing now Eddie? I know how much you were looking forward to having another baby"

"It's been tough but it's getting easier with each day that's gone by"

"I went to see Melissa the other day. We ended up in a fight and I haven't spoken to her since"

"I've spent a lot of time thinking"

"Me too"

"And have you made any decisions… about where we stand?" Eddie asked

Rachel looked at Eddie and took a deep breath.

"I'd like to give things another go with you. If that's what you want too, Rach"

Eddie couldn't believe the words that Rachel had just said. He had been fully expecting her to say they should just stay as friends; of course Eddie was hoping she'd say she wanted more though.

"Of course I do Rachel. I love you so much and I'm never going to let you go again" Eddie said with a massive grin on his face

The pair leaned in and enjoyed a long kiss.

"We need to take things slowly though Eddie. I've got the girls to think about too now"

"We'll take things as slowly as you want. When are you planning on telling the girls?"

"I've already asked them how they would feel. I didn't want to start anything with you if they weren't going to be happy with it"

"I take it none of them minded?"

"No. They were really happy about it actually, Lexie especially"

The pair of them stayed talking for a while before Rachel noticed the time.

"Oh wow, it's half past seven. I'd better get Daisy to bed"

"Okay. Would you like me to go or can I stay for a bit longer?"

"You can stay for as long as you like Eddie. Well not all night"

Really Rachel would have loved to have spent the night with Eddie but this wasn't something she could rush into with the girls around.

Rachel went up and put Daisy to bed before returning downstairs.

Olivia stuck something on Netflix. Neither Eddie or Rachel were really concentrating on it though. They were just enjoying every second of being back together. They kept looking at each other and smiling.

Suddenly Lexie appeared at the door.

"Rachel, can I speak to you please?" Lexie asked

"Of course you can"

Rachel stood up and went into the hallway with Lexie.

"What's up love?"

"Me and Mia were talking about Izzy again and now Mia's crying loads and I don't know what to do to make her feel better. Do you think we should call Angela?" Lexie explained sounding really worried

"Thanks for letting me know. Why don't you go and sit in the lounge with Eddie and Liv for a bit, I'll go and speak to Mia. I'll try and calm her down and if not I'll give Angela a ring"

Rachel went up the stairs and found Mia in floods of tears.

"Oh love" Rachel said before going over to her

Rachel sat down by Mia.

"I think I could've stopped Izzy from doing it" Mia blurted out though she could barely get her words out because she was crying so much

"What do you mean?"

"She told me about the trolls at a party. I found her in the toilet upset and she told me but that was the last time I spoke to her. I should have told someone and checked she was okay"

"This is not your fault Mia"

"I thought I made her feel better. I told her to ignore them because what they were saying was a load of rubbish. After we'd spoken she was smiling a bit and then she went off with some boy"

"I'm sure you did make her feel better. I bet your support meant a lot to her that night" Rachel said as she took hold of Mia's hand

"But if I'd have told you or someone about it then she could have got the help she needed"

"I promise you Mia, this isn't your fault. The only reason that Izzy isn't with us anymore is because of those horrid, horrid bullies"

"I want my Mum" Mia cried

"Okay, I'm going to give her a call sweetheart and see if she can leave work"

Rachel phoned Angela but she didn't answer.

"She didn't pick up. I'm sure she'll ring back as soon as she sees the missed call but she could be in surgery or something"

Mia put her head in her hands. She was finding this all so difficult and couldn't help but feel that she could have done more despite not knowing Izzy that well.

Rachel pulled Mia into her chest and gave her a much needed hug.

"I know this isn't as good as a cuddle from your Mum, but maybe it will help"

Rachel held Mia and eventually Mia started to calm down.

"How about I run you a bath and then the best thing you can do is try and get some sleep"

"Okay, that would be nice thank you"

Rachel ran a bath for Mia before calling her through.

"Your bath's ready love. Try not to think about things too much. You need to switch off and realise that you have done nothing wrong. Okay?"

"Okay. Thanks Rachel"

Rachel left Mia to it and went back downstairs. She felt so sorry for Mia and wished there was something she could do to make her feel better and stop her from feeling so guilty.

It had been a hard day and Rachel was so glad to have Eddie here with her helping her through it.

Later that evening, Angela phoned Rachel after listening to her voicemail.

Rachel explained what Mia was so upset about so Angela said she would come home straightaway.

When Rachel went to check on Mia though she was fast asleep.

"Okay well if she wakes up and wants me again, ring me and I'll come straight home" Angela said

"I will do Ang, see you tomorrow"

"See you tomorrow. Thank you so much for being there for her Rach"

Rachel then went back down to Eddie.

"I suppose it would be okay for you to stay tonight… that's if you want to" Rachel said as she didn't fancy being on her own tonight

Eddie grinned at Rachel.

"Of course I want to" Eddie said before they both headed up to bed

Unsurprisingly, Rachel took ages to get to sleep. She had too much on her mind and couldn't stop thinking about what she was going to do to help her pupils after the loss of Izzy.


	11. Chapter 11

It was a Saturday and Lexie had turned sixteen during the week. Rachel was letting Lexie have a party to celebrate her Birthday with her friends but now that the day had come, she couldn't help but feel nervous about having a bunch of her pupils inside of her own house.

Lexie on the other hand, was so excited and couldn't wait for her party tonight.

She'd woken up fairly early and was trying to get back to sleep. After a while of trying she gave up and went for a shower. She'd put fake tan on last night so needed to rinse it off.

Lexie had a long shower before going back to her bedroom and stripping her bed, as her sheets were all orange.

After getting dressed and drying her hair, Lexie went downstairs and put her bedding into the wash.

Once she'd set it off she made a coffee for herself and Rachel before taking them upstairs.

Rachel was awake but still in bed as she liked to have a lie in on a Saturday morning. Daisy was in her bed too playing on Rachel's phone.

Lexie gave Rachel her coffee before joining them on the bed.

"This is a lovely surprise, thanks Lex. You're up early"

"I know I couldn't sleep, I'm too excited"

"You've done a good job of your tan, you've gone a lovely colour"

"That new fake tan you bought is really good, we should definitely get that one again"

"Cost a flaming fortune though"

"Oh I'll pay you for it"

"Don't be silly, I didn't mean that. You're right, it's definitely worth getting a more expensive one"

Lexie felt bad as Rachel was always buying her nice things. She wasn't used to it at all and really did feel so lucky.

Lexie and Rachel chatted while they drank their coffees before Rachel jumped in the shower.

When she did Lexie went downstairs with Daisy.

"Lexie I'm hungry"

"Ok I'll get you some breakfast, what do you want?"

"Pancakes please"

Lexie couldn't really be bothered but ended up making the mixture because she knew Rachel wouldn't have time to make them when she came down as they needed to leave in less than an hour to go into town.

Rachel came down half an hour later to find the mixture ready to be cooked and all the toppings laid out on the table.

"Thanks for doing this, you didn't have to"

"Well I didn't think you'd have time and I know how much Daisy likes to have her pancakes on a Saturday morning"

"I'm sure she could have missed out just this once, but thanks for doing it"

"Is Olivia coming down for breakfast?"

"Yeah she's just getting dressed and then she'll be down. I'll start cooking"

They all enjoyed pancakes before breakfast before getting into the car and heading into town. Angela had got a voucher for Lexie to have her nails done for her Birthday so Lexie was having them done this morning.

Rachel parked the car before Lexie walked to the beauty salon. Rachel went for coffee with Olivia and Daisy while Lexie had her nails done.

The sun was shining and there were no clouds in sight, which had put Rachel in a really good mood. She couldn't wait to spend some time in the garden today.

After having her nails done, Lexie joined them in the coffee shop.

"Let's have a look at your nails then" Rachel said so Lexie showed them

"They look lovely, I love the colour. Are you pleased?"

"Yeah I really like them"

"Do you want a drink love?"

"No I'm good thanks. Is it ok if I meet Jess now? We want to get some false eye lashes and stuff for tonight but we won't be long"

"Yeah course it is. Do you want picking up later?"

"No it's ok. We're going to walk back to Jess' house to get her stuff and then her Mum is going to drop me home"

"Okay sweetheart, see you later"

Rachel was pleased about this as it would give her the chance to do a bit of decorating before Lexie got back.

After finishing their drinks they headed home and Rachel made a start on decorating the lounge ready for tonight. Olivia and Daisy both helped too.

"It looks really good girls, do you think Lexie will like it?" Rachel asked once they had finished

"Yeah I think so, it looks so good" Olivia replied

After they'd finished Rachel decided to spend a bit of time in the garden. She went and changed into a pair of shorts and a strapless top before grabbing her book and going downstairs.

"Rachel please could we put the paddling pool up?" Daisy asked

"You want it up today?"

Rachel couldn't really be bothered to put it up.

"It's so hot, I really want to go in. It will be fun"

Rachel didn't have the heart to say no so decided she would

"I suppose so, it is such a nice day. I'll get it ready now and then you can go in after lunch"

"Yay thank you Rachel"

Rachel started filling up the paddling pool and Daisy disappeared. She came down again not long after wearing a swim suit.

"I thought I said you have to wait until after lunch"

"I know, I just put it on ready"

Rachel had just finished setting it up when Lexie and Jess came into the garden.

"Hiya girls, did you get everything you needed?"

"Yeah I think so. We've just seen the lounge, it looks amazing. Thank you so much for doing it"

"That's no problem, I'm glad you like it. How are you Jess? It's been a while since I've seen you"

"I'm good thank you"

Lexie had a close group of friends but Jess was her best friend so often came over to Rachel's house.

"I'm just about to get some lunch, have you eaten yet?"

"No not yet, I'll come and give you a hand"

"Don't worry, you sit out and enjoy the sun for a bit"

Rachel went inside and started bringing out some picky bits for them all to have for lunch.

"I'll help you Rachel" Daisy said coming into the kitchen

"That's very nice of you, thank you"

"Then I can go in the paddling pool quicker because lunch will be ready quicker"

"Ah I see"

Once everything was out on the table, they all sat down and had lunch together.

They mainly talked about Lexie's party tonight.

Rachel noticed that Olivia was being fairly quiet. She hadn't said much all day which was unusual.

After they'd had lunch and cleared up Daisy insisted on going straight in the paddling pool.

"Are you going to go in too?" Rachel asked Olivia as it was quite deep so Olivia sometimes liked sitting in it when it was hot

"No I'm just going to sit here I think"

"It might cool you down a bit, you look really hot"

"No I don't want to"

"Ok, why don't you still put your bikini on so you can do some sunbathing?"

"I don't want to, just stop telling me what to do" Olivia snapped

"Sorry love"

Olivia got up and went up to her bedroom. She felt like she needed a bit of time to herself.

Olivia had woken up not feeling her best today. She didn't know what was wrong but she just didn't feel right. Everything was getting on her nerves and she didn't know why.

"What was that about?" Lexie asked surprised at Olivia's outburst

"I'm not sure. Normally as soon as it's warm enough Olivia gets straight into a bikini, she always says she doesn't want tan lines from her clothes. I'll give her a bit of time and then go and check she's okay"

"We're going to upstairs for a bit too. We need to finish making the playlist for tonight"

Jess and Lexie went upstairs so it was just Daisy and Rachel left in the garden. Rachel decided to read her book for a bit while Daisy played happily in the paddling pool.

After a while Rachel decided to go up and have a word with Olivia. She didn't want to leave Daisy in the paddling pool unsupervised though so asked Lexie to come and watch her for a bit.

Lexie and Jess came down and sat in the shade so Rachel went up to Olivia's room.

Rachel knocked on the door and waited for a reply.

"Yeah" Olivia called so Rachel went in

"Is everything okay sweetheart?"

"Yeah sorry for snapping at you before. Everything seems to be winding me up today"

"That's okay, everyone has days like that sometimes. Is there anything you want to have a chat about?"

"No I'm fine"

"Well you know where I am if you change your mind"

"I know. I'm going to go in the garden for a bit now. Is Daisy still in the paddling pool?"

"Yep she is"

Olivia grabbed her sun glasses before going downstairs with Rachel.

Olivia sat down on the sun lounger next to Rachel.

"Have you got sun cream on Liv?"

"No"

"Here you go then" Rachel said passing Olivia the sun cream

Olivia did her sun cream before asking Rachel to do her back.

They had a nice couple of hours in the garden together before Lexie and Jess decided to go upstairs to start getting ready.

She had a few of her other close friends coming over at 6 before the party started but Lexie wanted to be ready before then.

"We're going up to start getting ready now. We don't want to be rushing like we normally end up doing"

"Okay love. I suppose I'd better get this punch made, hadn't I?"

"Thanks Rach, you're the best"

Rachel had agreed to make a punch to put out for Lexie and all her friends, she was planning on making it weak though.

Rachel stayed in the garden for a while longer enjoying the sun before going up for a shower.

After having a shower she changed into a pair of jeans and a pretty top before going to get Daisy out of the paddling pool.

"Right, time for a bath Daisy"

"Can't I have longer in the paddling pool?"

"No or you won't be ready in time tonight. Are you having a shower before we go out tonight Liv?"

"Yeah I think I will, I feel all hot and sweaty"

"Make sure you pack a bag for tonight too"

Rachel, Olivia and Daisy were going out for a meal with Angela tonight and then spending the evening at Angela's. Rachel had agreed that they would all spend the night at Angela's but that she would come back at about midnight to check on things.

Rachel took some pizzas up to Lexie and Jess before getting ready for tonight.

After getting herself and Daisy ready Rachel went down to the kitchen to get some nibbles ready and make a big bowl of punch.

She was a bit unsure about providing alcohol but she knew everyone would be drinking whether she did it or not. At least this way they'd all be having weakish drinks for a while as she wasn't planning on using too much alcohol.

Rachel went into the fridge to get some stuff out and noticed some little jellies in there. She was surprised that Lexie wanted jellies at her party.

Lexie and Jess came down just as Rachel was finishing making the punch. Mia had also come over too ready for the party.

"Wow girls, you look absolutely amazing"

Lexie had on a new red, lacy bodycon dress with a pair of high heels which made her look really grown up.

"Thanks for doing the punch"

"I just had a try, I think it tastes nice"

"Good"

"When did you make the jellies?"

"Earlier, you can't have a Birthday party without jelly can you?"

Jess and Lexie had made some vodka jellies earlier using a bottle of vodka that Jess' Dad had agreed to buy for Jess. Lexie wasn't planning on telling Rachel this.

"Right, time for the ground rolls girls" Rachel said causing Lexie to roll her eyes

"Rach you've already been through them"

"Yes well it won't hurt for you to hear them again. I want you to be sensible. I know there's going to be drinking but I don't want you to be silly with it. Make sure nothing gets broken or ruined and I don't want anyone going upstairs. Any problems, ring me straight away. Okay?"

"Yes got it"

Just as Rachel had finished the doorbell went so Lexie went to let her other friends in.

Rachel got out a bottle of bubbles from the fridge that she'd bought for Lexie to enjoy with her friends.

She poured them all a glass as they came into the kitchen.

Lexie and all her friends loved that Rachel had done that for them.

"Right girls, I'm heading off now. Remember the rules Lexie but most importantly, enjoy yourself"

"Thanks Rach, enjoy your meal"

Rachel left the girls to it really hoping things would all run smoothly tonight and she wouldn't come home to find her house trashed.

Rachel went into the lounge where Olivia and Daisy were watching TV. When she walked in she noticed Olivia clutching her stomach.

"Are you okay Liv?"

"Yeah but I have a bit of a stomach ache"

"Oh I wonder what's causing that. Do you still want to go out for a meal?"

"Yeah I'll be fine"

Rachel, Olivia and Daisy walked to Angela's house so that they could drop their stuff off.

They decided to walk into town as it was a nice evening and it meant that Rachel and Angela could have a few drinks.

Angela had booked a table at an Italian restaurant in town so they headed there.

After sitting down, Rachel and Angela ordered a glass of wine each and they asked for some garlic bread.

As they were sitting there Olivia's stomach began to hurt even more than it had been all afternoon and she felt really uncomfortable.

"I'm just going to the loo" Olivia said before getting up from the table and going to the toilet

When she sat down she noticed her knickers were covered in blood and couldn't help but burst into tears.

It was such a shock and she felt really embarrassed about it. She sat there for a few minutes not knowing what to do.

Olivia knew the best thing to do would be to tell Rachel but she felt too embarrassed to say anything.

In the end she wrapped some toilet roll around her knickers before returning to the table.

Rachel had been starting to get a bit worried about Olivia as she'd been gone for quite a while but didn't say anything when she sat back down.

Olivia had carbonara which was one of her favourites but she couldn't eat much of it. Her stomach was really hurting and she felt really worried about how she was going to cope with her period.

Rachel really enjoyed going out and not having to cook. Daisy was starting to get tired though so they decided to walk home.

"I'm just going to pop to the loo" Olivia said

"Okay, we'll wait outside for you"

Rachel was wondering what was up with Olivia as she kept going off to the toilet

"You two go on, we'll catch you up" Rachel said when she spotted Olivia coming towards them

"Is everything okay?" Rachel asked when Olivia came out

"Yep" Olivia replied

"Have you got a bit of an upset stomach?"

"No, I think I've just had too much to drink today"

Rachel was unconvinced but didn't say anything more.

Olivia barely said a word on the walk home. She had so much going on in her mind.

Part of Rachel wanted to go and check on things at the party but she decided to just trust everything was okay and Lexie was sticking to the rules.

They went into Angela's house and Rachel went to put Daisy up to bed as she was tired.

"Shall we stick a film on?" Angela suggested

"Yeah that would be nice"

"What one do you want to watch?"

"I don't mind"

"Here you go, you choose" Angela said before passing the controls to Olivia

Olivia didn't want to choose, but flicked through anyway and decided on Cinderella Story.

They waited until Rachel came down to start it.

"Did Daisy settle alright?"

"It took a bit longer than normal but I don't think it will take her long to get to sleep, she's so tired"

"We thought we could watch a film, Liv's chosen Cinderella Story"

"Good choice"

Olivia got comfy on the sofa but she felt really paranoid about leaking. She felt really tearful and her eyes kept welling up.

She couldn't stop thinking about it and it all felt like too much.

They were about half way through the film when Rachel looked over and noticed Olivia was crying.

"Liv, what's wrong?" Rachel asked

"Nothing, I'm fine"

"It doesn't look like it, you're crying"

"It's nothing" Olivia said before going upstairs to the bathroom

Rachel was worried about Olivia now so followed her up.

"Liv it's just me, can you let me in?" Rachel said after knocking on the door

"I'm on the loo" Olivia called back with tears running down her face

Rachel waited for a while but Olivia still hadn't come out.

"Can you let me in love? I just want a quick word"

Olivia realised she had no choice but to let Rachel in so went and unlocked the door.

"Is your stomach still hurting?" Rachel asked and Olivia nodded her head

"Do you think you know why?"

"I've started my period and I don't know what to do" Olivia blurted out whilst looking down at the floor

Rachel put her finger under Olivia's chin and lifted her head up.

"It's okay. I know it's a bit of a shock to start with but I'm going to help you out"

This just made Olivia cry even more so Rachel pulled her in for a cuddle. She felt sorry for Olivia as she knew how scary it all seemed at first.

"I know it seems scary at the minute. I remember feeling exactly the same the day I started mine but it really isn't that bad, I promise"

Olivia stayed cuddled into Rachel for a bit. She felt so embarrassed that she was crying so much but she just couldn't help it.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm crying so much"

"It's a big thing, it's okay to be upset"

"I wish it hadn't happened yet"

"I'm afraid it has. I did think your period was on its way"

"Why?"

"Well you've just been very hormonal recently so I'm not surprised"

"I hoped I wouldn't start until I was 14 or 15"

"It's going to be fine. Why don't you have a shower, freshen up and get into some pyjamas? I'll nip home and get the pads I bought for you and then I'll get you a hot water bottle and some chocolate and we'll cuddle up on the sofa"

"Okay, thank you. What shall I do with my dirty clothes? It's gone through to my skirt"

"Just put them in your bag. I'll put some vanish on tomorrow and it will be good as new, don't you worry"

Rachel shouted down the stairs to Angela as she realised she'd be worried what was happening.

"Ang, is it okay if Olivia has a shower?"

"Yeah course, there's a towel on her bed"

Olivia went and got the towel before getting in the shower. She still felt upset about it but felt considerably better after telling Rachel. She was also glad that Rachel hadn't made it awkward at all which she thought her Mum probably would have if she was still there.

Rachel went and explained to Angela what was going on before going to get the pads for Olivia. She was surprised at the amount of people in her house. They were everywhere, including on the stairs and upstairs.

Lexie was having a great time with all her friends. She was really tipsy and just dancing and chatting to everyone. Rachel spotted her in the lounge but didn't bother her.

Rachel was trying to be quick but got stuck talking to quite a few pupils when she passed them. It was very weird seeing them all drunk.

Eventually Rachel got back to Angela's so went straight up to Olivia. She was out of the shower now and was sitting on her bed in a towel.

"Sorry I took so long love. Do you know how to put them on?"

"Yeah I think so"

"Have you got any questions or anything?" Rachel asked and Olivia shook her head

"Well if you do think of something you can ask me anytime. I'll leave you to get sorted now"

"Thanks Rachel"

Rachel went out of the room and closed the door so Olivia put her pyjamas on before going downstairs.

Olivia felt a bit apprehensive going back into the lounge as she knew Rachel would have told Angela. She was really pleased when neither of them mentioned it though and they just carried on with the film.

Olivia felt a lot more comfortable now she had a pad on and the hot water bottle that Angela had filled up ready for her felt really nice against her stomach.

After the film Olivia went up to bed.

Angela and Rachel chatted until gone midnight. When Rachel saw the time she decided to head home to check on things at the party

"I hope your house isn't in too bad a state"

"Me too"

Rachel headed home and was pleasantly surprised with how things looked.

The party was still going on but luckily everything seemed under control.

As soon as Lexie heard Rachel come in the front door she rushed down to her. She was fairly drunk but not completely out of it.

"Rach please will you help me? I don't know what to do"

"What's wrong?"

"It's Lauren, she's in a right state" Lexie said before rushing upstairs

Rachel followed her up into the family bathroom where Lauren was lying on the floor surrounded by sick.

"Someone's got a bit carried away I see"

"What shall we do? Do we need to call an ambulance?" Lexie asked panicking

Rachel called Lauren's name and she woke up a little.

"No I think she just needs to sleep it off. I'm going to get her out of these clothes, will you get some of your pyjamas?"

Lexie went out and closed the door behind her.

"Right Lauren, you need to sit up for me"

It was a bit of a struggle as Lauren was so drunk but eventually she did sit up.

Once Lexie came back the two of them got her out of the dirty clothes and into some pyjamas.

"She's going to be so embarrassed about this. I was going to try and sort it on my own but I was worried she needed to go to hospital or something"

"You did the right thing telling me. You can tell her tomorrow she doesn't need to be embarrassed though, I won't bring it up"

Once Rachel had cleared up the bathroom floor she put Lauren to bed in the spare bedroom. She then went down and got her a big glass of water and also put out a couple of paracetamol for her to take if she wanted to when she woke up.

"Is everything else okay Lex?"

"Yeah I think so"

"Have you had a good time?"

"It's been so good. Thank you so much for letting me have the party" Lexie said before wrapping her arms around Rachel

It was only now Rachel was realising how drunk Lexie was which she found quite funny.

"You are very welcome. I think I'm going to head back to Angela's now but ring me if there's any problems. I've turned the music down a bit because I don't want any complaints from the neighbours"

"Okay, see you tomorrow Rach"

"Bye love"

Rachel headed back to Angela's.

"How was it?"

"It wasn't too bad actually. Although I just had to change one of Lexie's friends and put her to bed because she was lying in her own sick"

"Lovely. I can't believe we used to be young and get drunk like that once upon a time"

"Tell me about it"

"Did you see Mia?"

"Yeah it looked like she was having a great time. She and Lexie were both quite drunk but neither of them were too bad"

"Good"

By this point Angela and Rachel were both really tired so decided to head up to bed.

Rachel was surprised when she woke up the following morning and saw it was 8:30. Normally Daisy would have woken her up by now.

Rachel certainly wasn't complaining though. She laid in bed for a bit before deciding to get up.

She checked on Daisy and couldn't believe it when she saw her still fast asleep.

She then went to check on Olivia. Olivia was awake so Rachel went and sat by her.

"How are you feeling today love?"

"I'm okay"

"How's the stomach?"

"Still sore but I think it's a bit better than yesterday"

"Normally it only hurts for the first day or two so hopefully it will be gone by tomorrow"

"I hope so"

Olivia decided to get up so the two of them went downstairs.

Rachel and Angela were enjoying a cup of coffee when Daisy walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning sleepy head"

"What time is it?"

"It's 9:15. You must have been tired, you never sleep this late"

After getting ready and having breakfast, Rachel and the girls headed home.

They walked in and the house was all clean and tidy.

Lexie was lying on the sofa with the TV on.

"Are you feeling a bit fragile after last night?" Rachel said laughing slightly

"I'm okay, just tired"

"Did you have a good time then?"

"Yeah it was so good"

"How was Lauren this morning?"

"She's gone home but she was absolutely mortified. She said she doesn't think she'll ever be able to be around you without feeling awkward"

"She really doesn't need to. We all make mistakes, maybe I'll have a word with her on Monday"

"You said you wouldn't bring it up to her"

"I know, but maybe it would be best to clear the air"

Lexie was being quiet and wasn't really in the mood for chatting.

"I think I'm going to go upstairs for a bit"

"Okay love, why don't you go back to sleep for a bit? It might make you feel better."

"Yeah I might do"

"Thanks for clearing up, you can't even tell you had a party"

After a couple of hours Lexie still hadn't come back down so Rachel went up to check on her.

She found her in bed crying.

"Oh love, what's wrong? What's happened?"

"Nothing" Lexie said hastily wiping away her tears

"It doesn't look like nothing to me, come on tell me what's up"

"I've done something really stupid"

"Last night?" Rachel asked and Lexie nodded

"What did you do?"

"Something I shouldn't have"

"You can tell me, I won't get cross. I just want to help you"

Lexie decided to just tell Rachel. She was feeling awful about what had happened and whenever she normally talked to Rachel about stuff it made her feel better.

"You know Matt?" Lexie asked and Rachel nodded

"Well he told me last night that he liked me. I had no idea but then he kissed me and we went up to my room for a bit. But the thing is Abbey really likes him so now I feel really bad"

"When you say you went up to your room, do you mean you slept with him?"

"No but we did some stuff" Lexie said her cheeks flushing slightly

"Okay well I know it's easy to get caught up in the moment, especially when you're drunk. Do you like Matt?"

"Yeah I hadn't realised it before but after last night I've realised how much I like him. I'm such a bad friend though, Abbey told me she likes him but he'd told her he just wanted to be friends"

"You can't help who you have feelings for sweetheart"

"What should I do?"

"Well I think you have two options really. You either take some time to figure out how you feel about Matt and keep it a secret from your friends for now. Or you tell Abbey what happened last night and be completely honest with her"

"I don't want to keep secrets from my friends but if I tell Abbey she'll hate me"

"She might be upset and angry to start with but I'm sure she'll come round. Sometimes you just have to do what's right for you. If you think Matt's going to make you happy then I think you should give him a chance"

"If I'm going to let things happen with Matt then I need to tell Abbey first, I need to be honest"

"I think once she calms down from the initial shock she'll really appreciate your honesty"

"I really hope so. Why can nothing ever be simple" Lexie said sighing

"I'm afraid nothing with boys and relationships ever seems to be simple, not for me anyway"

Lexie felt better after speaking to Rachel and now just needed to be brave enough to tell Abbey about Matt.

Please review xxx


	12. Chapter 12

Rachel had just got into the office ready for another day at Waterloo Road. She made a coffee before sitting at her desk and having ten minutes to herself.

She'd had a stressful morning so she felt she needed the time to calm down a bit.

Olivia had been in an awful mood and had taken everything anyone had said to her all morning as offence. Daisy had also been difficult and kept not listening to what Rachel told her to do. Luckily she'd had no problems from Lexie.

After having ten minutes to herself, Rachel felt less stressed and ready to face the day.

She had a senior leadership meeting first thing so she got prepared for that.

Luckily there wasn't too much to be discussed at the meeting meaning it finished earlier than planned, so Rachel went for a wander around the school and looked in on some of the lessons.

Rachel was about to head back up to her office but as she was walking past the cooler she saw that Olivia was in there.

As far as she was aware, Olivia hadn't been sent to the cooler yet so she wondered what she'd done.

Rachel opened the door and walked in.

"I just need a quick word with Olivia" Rachel said to Miss Koreshi

Olivia looked up at the sound of Rachel's voice.

She didn't move until Rachel looked at her expectantly.

Olivia followed Rachel out into the corridor but she wasn't happy about it at all.

"That's so unfair" Olivia said

"What is?"

"You being told I got sent to the cooler. If it was anyone else their parents wouldn't be told"

"I wasn't told actually. I was walking past and I saw you. How come you're in the cooler?"

"I didn't even do anything wrong"

"The fact you're in the cooler tells me otherwise"

"Apparently I was being argumentative"

"Who sent you here?"

"Mrs Grey. The work she was getting us to do was pointless"

"I'm sure it wasn't. I know maths isn't your favourite subject but it doesn't mean it's pointless"

"It is pointless. She never puts any effort into our lessons because she's an awful teacher and you know it"

"Hey that's enough of the attitude"

"I don't even get why you're having a go at me, you didn't need to get involved"

"It's not like you to be in the cooler so I wanted to know what was going on and check you're okay"

"Well it's not fair. You should treat me the same as everyone else. You didn't pull out any of the others"

"Sorry love. I do see your point"

"Can I go back inside now?"

"Yep go on. We'll talk about this when we get home"

Olivia rolled her eyes before going back into the cooler.

Rachel really didn't know what had got into the girl today.

After speaking to Olivia, Rachel headed back up to her office to do some paperwork.

She hated the amount of time she had to spend doing paperwork. She was really fed up with it so decided to text Eddie to see if he fancied coming over later. Rachel really fancied his company that evening.

Luckily for Rachel lunchtime seemed to come around fairly quickly so she stopped for some lunch with Kim and Chris. As much as she missed Eddie, she did still think Chris was an excellent deputy and did think of Chris as a friend now.

After lunch Rachel headed back to her office to do some more paperwork.

It was about half an hour after the bell had gone at the end of lunch when Tom came up.

"Hi Tom, what can I do for you?"

"I can't stop long because I've just left my year 11s. I just thought you should know I've sent Lexie to the cooler"

"Not Lexie as well. Olivia was in there this morning too. What's she done?"

"She hasn't done anything wrong but she was really upset and crying so I thought it might be for the best"

"Right okay, thanks Tom"

Tom went out so Rachel decided to go down to the cooler to see what was wrong with Lexie.

Lexie was still crying quite a bit so Rachel suggested they went for a walk outside.

"What's up love?"

"Abbey and Sophie are being complete bitches" Lexie said angrily

Lexie had told Abbey about Matt on Monday and since then Lexie's friendship group had had a bit of a falling out. Things had really kicked off at lunchtime though and they'd all said things they probably shouldn't have.

"Hey that's not a very nice thing to say, they're your friends"

"You wouldn't think so after the things they've said to me"

"What've they said?"

"Really nasty things, especially Sophie I hate her"

"You don't mean that, you're just upset and angry with her at the minute"

"Yes I do. She brought up things that aren't even related to what we'd fallen out about and it made everything even worse"

"Like what?"

"It doesn't matter"

"Well if you do want to talk to me about any of it, you know you can. I know you haven't had a very good week but hopefully after this falling out you can put everything behind you and move on"

"I hope so, I just want everything to go back to normal"

"It will, just give it time. Right there's no point in you going back to your lesson now. Why don't you stay with me in my office until the end of the day and then you can find out what you missed in Mr Clarkson's lesson tomorrow"

"Okay, thanks Rachel"

Rachel had dealt with her fair share of fallouts and from experience knew that it would all blow over and Lexie and her friends would get over it and go back to being really close friends.

Lexie went up and sat on the sofa in Rachel's office. She still felt really upset and kept letting out a sniffle as she was feeling so bad about everything.

Rachel stopped her paperwork and went over and sat down next to her.

"It will be okay love, I promise you" Rachel said putting her hand on Lexie's leg

Lexie didn't say anything so Rachel pulled her in for a cuddle.

Once the school bell went the two of them waited for Olivia to come up to the office.

"Have you been crying Lexie?" Olivia asked as soon as she saw Lexie's tear stained face

"Yeah I've had a bit of a falling out with my friends" Lexie replies honestly

Olivia didn't ask why as she didn't want to be nosy.

"How was your day Liv?" Rachel asked

"It was okay thank you"

"You didn't get sent to the cooler anymore did you?"

"No"

As they walked out to the car Rachel tried talking to Olivia but she wasn't getting much out of her. It was clear Olivia was still in the bad mood that she'd been in this morning.

They drove to Daisy's primary school and Olivia and Lexie both waited in the car while Rachel went in.

Daisy was really happy to see Rachel just like she always was at the end of the day and excitedly started telling Rachel about her day.

They rushed home so that Daisy could have a snack and get changed for ballet.

Wednesday's were always a bit of a rush as Daisy had ballet and then Olivia had gymnastics straight after.

After Daisy had her snack Rachel went upstairs with her to make sure she got changed quickly. If she left her to do it on her own they'd end up being late as Daisy wasn't good at getting changed quickly.

Once Daisy was changed Rachel went to Olivia's room to check she was nearly ready to go.

Rachel was surprised when she saw Olivia still in her school uniform.

"Hurry up Liv, we need to leave in less than 5 minutes"

"I'm not coming"

"You know I don't have time to come home after ballet, pick you up and get you to gymnastics on time though"

"I'm not going to gymnastics tonight"

"Why not?"

"I don't feel like it"

"How come?"

"Oh my god what's with all the questions? I don't feel very well so I don't want to go. It's no big deal"

Rachel was about to ask Olivia how she didn't feel very well but decided against it.

"Ok. I'm taking Daisy to ballet now, see you when we get back. Take it easy if you're feeling poorly"

Rachel took Daisy to ballet and sat and watched with some of the other Mum's. She'd got to know them fairly well now.

Once the ballet class had finished Rachel drove to Tesco as she needed to pick up a few bits.

"Eddie's coming over for tea tonight"

"I like Eddie, he's really fun" Daisy replied

"I'm glad you like him. I like him too"

"Is that why you always kiss him?"

"I don't always kiss him" Rachel said laughing

"Well you give him really long kisses"

Rachel picked up everything she needed before heading to the sweets aisle.

"Rachel please can I get this?" Daisy asked holding up some horrible looking sweets

"No I don't think so, they look horrible. Choose something Lexie and Olivia will like too"

Once Daisy had chosen they went to pay before heading home.

"Are you going to go and get changed love?"

"Okay" Daisy said before going upstairs

Rachel unpacked the shopping before going upstairs to check on Lexie and Olivia.

Lexie was doing some homework but still seemed upset.

Olivia was lying on her bed and still not in the mood to talk to Rachel.

Rachel went downstairs and made a start on tea. She'd decided to do creamy chicken pasta as everyone really liked it and it was quick and easy to do.

She hadn't been cooking for long when Eddie arrived.

Eddie came in and gave her a hand. Rachel loved it whenever Eddie came over and had really enjoyed having more adult company around the house.

"I've got Michael this weekend Rach. Do you fancy going out for the day on Saturday?"

"Yeah that would be nice. Daisy loved playing with Michael last time"

"I think the weather's meant to be good so we could pack up a picnic and go somewhere"

"Good idea. I'm not sure what Lexie or Olivia's plans are yet. Just to warn you, neither of them are very happy tonight"

"Oh what's up with them?"

"Well Lexie's fallen out with her friends so is upset about that and Liv's been in a mood all day, I have no idea why though"

"I wouldn't think too much of it Rach, she'll probably be fine again tomorrow"

"I hope so"

Tea was nearly ready so Rachel sent Daisy upstairs to get Lexie and Olivia.

Lexie and Daisy came back down but there was no sign of Olivia.

"Where's Liv?" Rachel asked

"She said she doesn't want any tea"

"I'll just go up and check on her"

Rachel went upstairs to Olivia's room.

"How come you don't want any tea?"

"I'm not feeling very well"

"Are you feeling sick?"

"Yeah"

"That's a shame. I've done one of your favourites, creamy chicken pasta"

Olivia was hungry really and did want to eat but she just couldn't face being around everyone at the minute.

Olivia didn't respond.

"Do you want me to just make you some plain toast or something then?"

"No I'll be fine"

"Okay. I'll come up and see you again once we've eaten. Just shout if you want anything"

Rachel went back down and enjoyed her meal. Lexie seemed a bit happier which Rachel was pleased about.

Olivia was still really upset though. She'd been really missing both her parents over the last couple of days and just wanted to see them.

As soon as Rachel had left her bedroom she allowed herself to start crying.

Olivia had been holding in her tears ever since she'd got home from school but she couldn't keep them in any longer.

She started going through some old photos which only made her feel even more upset.

Olivia had been fine for ages now and didn't understand why she was suddenly missing them both so much.

After a while Olivia could hear everyone clearing up downstairs. She knew Rachel would be up soon to check on her so decided she'd have a shower. She didn't want Rachel knowing she'd been crying so decided this was the best way to avoid her.

After a few minutes Olivia made her way to the bathroom and got in the shower. She stayed in there for ages letting the warm water run down her body. After a while she realised she should wash her hair.

Olivia had a really long shower before heading back to her bedroom. She hoped that in the time she'd been in the bathroom Rachel would have been up to check on her and now be back downstairs again.

Olivia put on some pyjamas and then brushed and dried her hair before sitting down on her bed. She felt so down and didn't know what to do with herself. In the end she decided she maybe would speak to Rachel about how she was feeling.

Her face was all red and her eyes were puffy but there wasn't much she could do about that. She still felt on the verge of tears so knew it was likely she would start crying again anyway.

Olivia took a deep breath before making her way downstairs and into the lounge.

Rachel, who was cuddled up against Eddie, heard Olivia come in so looked up and was surprised when she saw her tear stained face.

"Oh love, what's up?" Rachel asked sounding concerned

"Nothing I'm fine" Olivia replied before running back upstairs

Olivia didn't realise Eddie was over and felt really embarrassed that he'd seen her when she was upset and looked a right mess.

"I'm just going to go and speak to Olivia and then it's time for you to go to bed Daisy"

"Why was Olivia crying?" Daisy asked

"I'm not sure but I'm going to go and find out"

Rachel went upstairs and found Olivia crying her eyes out.

Rachel didn't say anything but went over and cuddled Olivia.

Olivia fell into Rachel's embrace and started crying even more hysterically.

They stayed like that for a few minutes until Olivia calmed down.

"You going to tell me what's up now?"

"It doesn't matter, I'm okay. Eddie's downstairs, you should get back to him"

"He can wait, you're much more important. Come on, tell me"

"I know it's stupid but I've just been really missing Mum and Dad over the last few days"

"That's not stupid. You're bound to miss your Mum and Dad. How long have you been missing them for?"

"A couple of days now. I really want to see them again"

"I know you do love, so do I"

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about them all day" Olivia said before her face crumbled again

There wasn't much Rachel could say to make her feel better but she continued to rub her back and stroke her hair.

"Have a good cry love, let it all out"

Olivia was still feeling upset but definitely felt better now that she'd told Rachel how she was feeling.

"You are such a brave girl Liv. What you've been through is unimaginable and you've coped with it so well. But it's fine to miss Mum and Dad and get upset. I'd be surprised if you didn't"

"I've felt fine for ages now though"

"That's the thing with grief. You can be fine for ages and then all of a sudden it just hits you and completely consumes you. You will feel okay again, I promise you darling"

"I know. Sorry for being all moody today"

"That's okay. I know when you're feeling upset sometimes that's what happens"

"Could we maybe go and put some flowers on Mum and Dad's grave's at the weekend?"

"Of course we can, that's a lovely idea"

Olivia was still feeling tearful but definitely better than she had been when she'd been upstairs all on her own.

"Do you fancy coming downstairs for a bit now?"

"No I look such a mess"

"That doesn't matter sweetheart, you still look beautiful"

"Eddie's here though"

"He won't say anything, don't worry. When you came into the lounge earlier were you coming to find me to tell me how you were feeling?" Rachel asked and Olivia nodded

"And then you changed your mind when you saw I was with Eddie?"

Olivia nodded her head again.

"Eddie being here doesn't change anything. You know I'm always here for you, don't you?"

"I know. I just didn't realise he was here so it was a bit of a shock"

"I must have forgotten to tell you. He came over for tea. Speaking of tea, you must be starving"

"Yeah I am"

"Do you want me to heat you up some pasta?"

"Yes please"

"Why don't you go and give your face a little wash and then come down and eat your tea in the lounge"

"Okay"

Rachel went downstairs and put the pasta in the microwave for Olivia before going into the lounge.

"Daisy go and put your pyjamas on and brush your teeth and then I'll come up to say goodnight"

"Eddie said he would read me a story tonight"

"That's nice of him. Okay, you go and get changed and then Eddie will come up"

Daisy happily skipped off to her bedroom.

"Is Olivia okay?" Eddie asked

"Yeah, she's missing her Mum and Dad"

"Poor thing"

"She's coming down in a minute though, I'm just heating up some pasta for her"

Eddie gave it a few minutes before going up to read Daisy her bedtime story. When he came back down Rachel and Olivia were both in the lounge and Olivia was eating.

"Daisy wants you to go up and say goodnight to her Rach"

To begin with Olivia felt really awkward as it was just her and Eddie. She was relieved when Eddie didn't mention anything about her being upset though.

It wasn't long before Rachel came back down.

"Where's Lexie?" Olivia asked as usually Lexie would spend the evening downstairs

"She's in the bath"

Despite being a bit tearful, Olivia enjoyed spending the evening with Rachel and Eddie.

At about 9 Olivia decided to go up to bed.

"I'll be up in a bit to say goodnight love"

Olivia said goodnight to Eddie before going upstairs.

"I've been thinking, maybe you could stay for the night soon" Rachel said once Olivia was upstairs

"Are you sure you're happy with that?" Eddie asked as he knew Rachel was worried about the girls

"Yeah I think so. We've been together for a while now so I don't think it's setting a bad example, is it?"

"No definitely not"

"And the girls all love you"

"Well I won't stay this weekend because I've got Michael, but how about one night next week?"

Rachel nodded but then thought about it.

"Or you could just stay tonight?"

"I'd love to" Eddie said before leaning in to kiss Rachel

Rachel and Eddie were both really excited. It had been so long since they'd woken up together and neither of them could wait.

"Right, I'm just going up to say goodnight to Olivia"

Whilst she was upstairs, Rachel checked and Lexie and Olivia were both happy about Eddie staying over.

Rachel returned downstairs and enjoyed the rest of her evening snuggled up to Eddie. She felt so content being back with the man that she loved.


	13. Chapter 13

It was a Saturday morning and Rachel was still lying in bed. Usually she'd be up by this time but at the minute, getting up was the last thing she felt like doing. She didn't really have much choice though as she had 3 children living in her house that depended on her.

Lexie came into her bedroom at about 10.

"Morning love" Rachel said offering a weak smile

"Morning. I've been looking for you, I didn't realise you were still in bed"

"I'm feeling a bit lazy this morning. I'm going to get up now though"

Lexie noticed at once that Rachel didn't seem like her normal self.

"Are you feeling poorly?" Lexie asked

"No I feel fine, why?"

"I was just wondering, it's not like you to still be in bed at this time"

"I'm going to jump in the shower now. Would you mind getting breakfast for Daisy if she hasn't already had some?"

"Shall I make some pancakes?"

"No she can just have some toast or cereal today"

"Oh right" Lexie said sounding surprised as Rachel always made pancakes on a Saturday usually

Lexie went downstairs feeling a bit worried about Rachel as she didn't seem very happy. She wondered if she'd had a fall out with Eddie or something.

After another five minutes Rachel forced herself out of bed. She really wasn't looking forward to the day and couldn't wait for it to be over.

Once she'd had a shower Rachel put on a pair of cropped jeans and a t-shirt before scraping her wet hair back into a pony tail. She didn't bother to put any makeup on.

Rachel then went downstairs where Lexie, Olivia and Daisy were all sat at the table having breakfast.

"Why aren't we having pancakes today?" Daisy asked sounding a bit disappointed

"You shouldn't just expect to have pancakes made for you every Saturday" Rachel said sounding more harsh than she'd intended to

Rachel made herself a coffee and the girls ate their breakfast in silence. They'd all picked up on the fact that Rachel was in a bit of a bad mood.

Once she'd made her coffee she took it into the lounge. All she wanted was some peace and quiet.

"What do you think is up with Rachel?" Olivia asked quietly once Rachel was out of ear shot

"I'm not sure. She doesn't seem too happy though" Lexie replied

"Shall I go and give her a cuddle? When Rachel gives me a cuddle when I'm sad it always makes me feel better" Daisy asked

"No it's probably best just to give Rachel a bit of space for now. I'll put our breakfast dishes in the dishwasher and then how about we play a game?" Lexie suggested

"What game?"

"I don't mind you choose"

Olivia didn't fancy playing a game so went upstairs. She fancied seeing her friends so decided to invite some of them over. It was meant to be a nice day so she thought they could do some sunbathing in the garden.

Lexie cleared up from breakfast before going to see if Rachel wanted to play. When she got into the lounge it looked as though Rachel might have been crying but Lexie didn't mention it.

"Rach I'm going to play a game with Daisy. Do you want to play?"

"No I think I'll give it a miss today"

"Okay, we'll probably play outside"

"Okay"

Rachel wasn't being very conversational so Lexie decided to leave her to it and went back to the kitchen.

"What game have you chosen Daisy?" Lexie asked

"Frustration"

"Good choice. Shall we play in the garden?"

"Yeah"

The two of them went outside but Lexie realised she should probably put some sun cream on Daisy as it was already quite hot. Once she'd done that the two of them sat down and played Frustration.

They'd just finished playing when Olivia came outside looking for Rachel.

"Oh is Rachel not out here as well?"

"No last time I saw her she was in the lounge. What do you want her for?"

"Ellie and Holly want to come over so I'm going to ask her if they can"

Olivia rushed off to find Rachel, excited about seeing her friends.

When she got into the lounge Rachel was sat on the sofa just staring into space.

"Rach is it okay if Ellie and Holly come over? We're going to sunbathe in the garden"

"No not today love"

"Why not? We aren't doing anything"

"Because I said no"

"That's so unfair. At least give a reason why they can't come"

"Why can you never just take no for an answer. It's my house and I don't want them to come over. That's my final answer, now stop going on about it"

Olivia went off in a strop. She didn't understand why Rachel was being the way she was. There was no way she wanted to stay in the house with Rachel when she was in such a mood so arranged to go round to Ellie's house instead.

Olivia packed up some stuff before going down to tell Rachel what she was doing.

"Well if I can't have Ellie and Holly over, can I at least go to Ellie's house?"

"Yeah okay. Are you walking over?"

"Yep"

"See you later then"

Olivia really didn't understand why Rachel was being so cold towards her. She really didn't like it and was wondering if she'd done something to annoy or upset Rachel.

After Olivia left Rachel realised she should probably check on Daisy, who was still out in the garden with Lexie.

"Rachel please can we go swimming today?"

"No I don't feel like it today"

"We didn't go last weekend though, please can we go today"

"I don't want to. Maybe Lexie will take you"

Lexie couldn't believe Rachel had said this when she knew how much revision she had to do.

"Well I've got loads of revision to do, I'm about to go and do some now"

Lexie looked at Daisy's disappointed face and felt really guilty letting her down.

"I'll see how I get on and I might have time later. I'm not promising anything though"

"You might have to give it a miss today Daisy I'm afraid"

"I'm going to go and do my revision now" Lexie said before going upstairs

"Rachel please can we make some cookies?"

"I don't really feel like it"

"Oh okay"

Daisy looked a bit upset and Rachel did start to feel bad.

"I'm not feeling up to doing much today love. But how about we stick a film on?" Rachel suggested

It was a lovely day so really it would have been nice to get out and enjoy it but Rachel just couldn't face it.

"Please can we watch Frozen 2?"

"We can watch whatever you like"

The two of them went into the lounge and put the film on. By the time it had finished it was lunch time so Rachel called Lexie down.

Rachel was in a better mood than she'd been in in the morning but she still seemed extremely quiet and not herself.

Lexie was starting to worry that Rachel and Eddie had split up again. She thought it would explain Rachel's mood. Lexie decided to try and find out.

"Is Eddie coming over tonight?"

"No not tonight"

"Why don't you invite him over, we could have a BBQ or something"

"He's probably got plans"

"Have you fallen out with him or something?"

"No. I don't have to spend all my time with him you know" Rachel said sounding snappy again

"Sorry" Lexie said realising she should probably drop it now

After lunch Lexie carried on with her revision. Rachel filled up the paddling pool for Daisy knowing that would keep her occupied for a while.

Olivia left Ellie's house at about 3 as Ellie was going out with her parent's. As she walked through the front door, Olivia was really hoping Rachel wasn't in a mood with her anymore. She'd been thinking about it all day and trying to work out what she'd done wrong.

Olivia looked in the garden straight away expecting them to be out there.

"Hi Liv, I wasn't expecting you back yet"

"Ellie's gone out now"

"Oh right. Did you have a nice time?"

"Yeah it was really good, we just sunbathed and stuff"

Olivia sat down on the sun lounger next to Rachel however Rachel was barely talking to her. In the end Olivia went up to her room trying to figure out why Rachel was in a mood with her.

After another hour Rachel decided to get Daisy out of the paddling pool.

"Time to get out now Daisy"

"Can I have a bit longer?"

"No I think you've had long enough. Come on, out now"

Daisy didn't argue with Rachel and got out before heading upstairs.

Rachel stayed with Daisy while she had a shower and got dressed before going into the utility to sort the washing out.

She then did a bit of ironing before taking everyone's ironed clothes up to their rooms.

After putting her own clean washing away, she sat down on the bed and couldn't help but burst into tears.

Lexie came into her bedroom a little while later and was surprised to see Rachel crying. She hadn't seen Rachel cry very much.

Rachel hastily wiped away her tears but it was a bit pointless really.

"What's wrong Rachel?" Lexie asked feeling really worried as Rachel seemed really upset

"Sorry sweetheart, I'm just having a bit of a bad day"

"Has something happened?"

"Nothing's happened. And before you ask again, no I haven't fallen out with Eddie. I just don't fancy seeing him today"

"You haven't seemed very happy all day"

"I know, I'm sorry"

Rachel realised just how bad she'd handled today and started to feel really bad. She decided it would be best to tell the girls why she'd been in such a mood.

"The thing is there is a reason why I've been horrible all day. I wasn't going to tell you because I didn't want to make a big deal of it, but I think I should have"

"What is it?"

"Can you go and get Olivia and Daisy? I'll tell you all together"

Lexie went to Daisy's room first and sent her through to Rachel before going to get Olivia.

"Liv Rachel wants to speak..." Lexie started but then noticed that Olivia was crying

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing I'm fine"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, what were you saying?"

"Rachel wants to speak to us in her bedroom"

Olivia was nervous now but followed Lexie into Rachel's bedroom.

When Rachel saw Olivia's tear stained face she immediately pulled her in for a hug.

"What's wrong love?"

"I'm okay, it doesn't matter"

"Well it doesn't look like it to me but maybe we could have a chat in a bit when it's just the two of us. Would you prefer that?" Rachel asked and Olivia nodded

"Okay. Well firstly girls, I want to apologise for being in such a bad mood today and being all snappy"

Olivia looked up at Rachel. She didn't realise that Rachel had been in a bad mood with everyone, she thought it was just her.

"I'm finding today a bit difficult but I shouldn't have taken it out on the three of you. That was wrong of me and I am really sorry about that"

"Why are you finding today difficult?" Daisy asked

"Well that's why I've asked you all to come in so that I can tell you. Now I know none of you know this, but the thing is..." Rachel started but she was feeling apprehensive about telling them

She didn't really like talking about it as it always brought back bad memories.

Rachel wiped away a tear that had just fallen from her eye. She knew she just needed to say it, but was struggling to find the words.

"Well the thing is I have a daughter. I had her a long time ago but I couldn't look after her properly so I gave her up for adoption. Today would have been her 21st Birthday" Rachel told them sadly

Seeing Rachel so upset was making the girls really upset too.

"What's her name?" Daisy asked

"I named her Lily because lilies were my Grandma's favourite flower and well unfortunately my Grandma died when I was 10 but I loved her so much. I'm sure the people who adopted her have named her something different so I don't actually know what she's called"

"Have you had any contact with Lily's adoptive parents?" Lexie asked

"No, I asked not to. I thought it would be easier that way"

"Why couldn't you look after Lily properly?" Daisy asked

"Daisy, Rachel probably doesn't want us asking loads of questions" Olivia said to her younger sister

"It's okay. I'm happy to answer all of your questions. I was only 17 when I had Lily and I wouldn't have been able to give her the life I wanted. I wanted her to have the best life possible and so I decided the best thing to do was to give her to a family who could give her a better life than me"

"Did you consider keeping her?" Lexie asked

"Yes. It was the most difficult decision I've ever had to make. I wanted to keep Lily with me more than anything but I did what was best for her. I hope that's the way she sees it anyway"

Rachel answered all of the questions that the girls had. She was glad that they knew about her secret now. It was something that Rachel hardly told anyone.

"This might be a really bad idea and you can say no if you want to, but maybe we could do something to celebrate Lily's Birthday. We could go out for a meal or something" Lexie suggested

"I think that's a lovely idea love. I have to admit that I wasn't feeling much like doing anything earlier but talking to you three about it has really helped me, so thank you. It would be really nice to go out somewhere tonight"

"Okay, where do you fancy going?"

"I really fancy an Indian actually, I'm happy to go wherever though"

"Indian is good with me" Olivia said

They were all happy to have an Indian so they decided to go to their favourite Indian restaurant in town.

"Would you mind if I invite Eddie as well?"

"Of course not. I really thought you'd fallen out with Eddie and that's why you were upset" Lexie replied

"No we haven't fallen out, I promise"

"Does Eddie know about Lily?" Olivia asked

"Yes Eddie is one of the few people who does know. He doesn't know it's her Birthday today though"

They carried on chatting for a bit longer.

"Right Lexie, Daisy are you going to go and get ready to go out? I'll phone and book a table for 6 and see if Eddie wants to come, he has Michael this weekend too"

Lexie, Olivia and Daisy all got up to leave.

"Hang on a sec Liv, I want to talk to you first" Rachel said

Once Lexie and Daisy had gone, Rachel turned her attention to Liv.

"You going to tell me what's wrong now?"

"There's nothing wrong"

"I could tell you'd been crying"

"Oh well I was a bit upset but I'm fine now, honestly"

"What was wrong then?"

"I thought I'd done something that had upset or annoyed you. I didn't realise you'd... well been like it with Daisy and Lexie too"

"I'm so sorry sweetheart. Of course you haven't done anything to upset or annoy me. I'm sorry I made you feel like that"

Olivia really was very sensitive and a big worrier.

"Rachel can I tell you something?" Olivia asked sounding a bit worried

"Of course you can, you can tell me absolutely anything" Rachel replied as she tucked some hair behind Olivia's ear

"I already knew that you had a baby. I heard you and Mum talking about it once. I know I shouldn't have been listening but I couldn't help it"

"How come you never mentioned that you knew? I had no idea" Rachel asked softly

"I didn't know if you'd want to talk about it with me"

"It is something I don't find that easy to talk about and it's also a part of my life that I've put behind me, but you could have told me that you knew. I'm sure you must have had lots of questions. When did you find out?"

"Not that long before Mum... you know"

"Not long before your Mum passed away?"

"Yeah. It was when we came to your house for that BBQ and we stayed over"

"Well in future don't be afraid to talk to me about anything, even if you think it will upset me or make me angry"

"Okay, thanks Rach"

"Anyway I'd better go and get my face sorted. I don't think any of you would want to be seen with me if I go out looking like this" Rachel said as her face was all red and puffy from crying

"You still look nice"

"Thanks love, I know you're lying though" Rachel said laughing

Rachel phoned Eddie, who said he would love to come with Michael, before phoning the Indian and booking a table for them all.

Once that was sorted Rachel got straight in the shower and rewashed her hair as it was in a bit of a state.

After her shower Rachel wrapped a towel around herself, washed her face and rubbed all her creams in before going to her wardrobe to decide what to wear.

She was in the middle of looking through her wardrobe when Daisy came in wearing one of her new pretty summer dresses.

"Rachel please can I wear this dress?"

"Yes that's a good choice, you look lovely sweetheart"

"Thank you. Please will you do my hair for me and then can I sit on your bed whilst you get ready?"

"Yep, come and sit at my dressing table"

Rachel french plaited the top half of Daisy's hair. Whilst she was doing it, Daisy kept glancing at Rachel in the mirror.

"You look happy again now. I didn't like it when you were sad today"

"I do feel a lot happier now. I still feel a little bit sad but you, Olivia and Lexie have certainly made me feel a lot better. Right I'm all done, are you happy with that?"

"Yes thank you, it looks really good"

Daisy then went and sat on Rachel's bed and watched whilst she got ready. This was something she loved doing.

Once everyone was ready they went into town and met Eddie and Michael at the Indian.

They all enjoyed a nice meal and Rachel was really pleased to have seen Eddie. She wished he could stay over tonight but he couldn't because he had Michael.

Rachel put Daisy to bed as soon as they got home as it was way past her bedtime, before going into the lounge to join Lexie and Olivia.

"What do you want to do now Rachel?" Olivia asked

"I don't mind, you girls choose"

"We thought we could watch a film, but we can do something else if you don't fancy it"

"A film is good with me"

They put the film on but Lexie had a question for Rachel that she wasn't sure whether to ask her or not. In the end she decided to just go for it and hoped it wouldn't upset Rachel.

"Rachel you know you said you had Lily adopted because you couldn't look after her properly, was it just because you were so young or was there another reason?" Lexie asked nervously "you don't have to tell me if you don't want to"

"I'm happy to tell you love. I know I didn't give you many details earlier but that was because Daisy was there. Do you mind if I just go and get a drink and then I'll tell you" Rachel said as she gently touched Lexie's arm

"Yeah that's fine"

"I'm going to have a cup of tea. Do either of you want one?"

"I'll have a peppermint tea please" Lexie said

"I'm good thanks Rachel" Olivia replied

Rachel went out and boiled the kettle but then saw an open bottle of red so decided to have a glass of wine instead.

She made Lexie's tea and poured herself a glass of wine before going back into the lounge.

"That doesn't look like tea" Lexie said laughing

"I changed my mind"

Rachel sat herself down again and started telling Lexie and Olivia about why she made the decision to have her baby adopted. She decided to start from the very beginning and be completely honest with the girls.

"Well as you both know my Mum died when I was 5 and Mel was 2. My Dad never had been the best Dad but after Mum died he became even worse. Me and Mel spent most of our time at my grand parents house but when I was 8 my Grandad died of lung cancer and then when I was 10 my Grandma also died" Rachel said as tears began to form in her eyes. Her grand parents were the only ones who had looked after her properly after her Mum died and she still missed them.

"After that it was basically down to me to look after Mel. Our Dad was always working late or just out of the house, so I was the one cooking our meals and putting Mel to bed every night. I think this took it's toll on me and when I was about 15 I went off the rails a bit, I started drinking and smoking and I got in with the wrong crowd. My Dad tried to stop me but by this point my relationship was so strained that I wouldn't listen to anything he said. I started sleeping with this boy who was a couple of years older than me and ended up getting pregnant when I was 17. When my Dad found out he was furious and tried to make me have an abortion. I refused to have one so he kicked me out"

Lexie and Olivia were both shocked by this.

"Did he change his mind once he'd calmed down?" Olivia asked

"No he didn't. The worst bit about it for me was having to leave Mel with him but I didn't exactly have a choice"

Rachel took a large gulp of her wine. This really wasn't something she found easy to talk about but she did want Lexie and Olivia to know the truth.

"So I moved in with my boyfriend which was fine to start with. But after a while he wanted me to start paying my share but I didn't have any money or a job. So when one of his mates offered me the change to make £1000 a week I took it. I thought I didn't have any other option, but obviously I did I just didn't realise it because I was young and naive. So that's how I got into prostitution" Rachel said but she said the last word extremely quietly as even after all this time she still felt so ashamed about it

"So when my baby was born I knew I couldn't bring her up in the life I was leading. I just couldn't as much as I wanted to raise my daughter, so a couple of days after Lily was born I gave her up and haven't seen or heard anything about her since" Rachel said

She was pretty upset by this point and both Lexie and Olivia were crying too. They felt so bad for Rachel having to go through all of this.

"So then what happened?"

"I went back to doing what I was doing to make a living. And a year later my pimp got caught and the police offered me a change of identity and no charges in return for me giving them all the information I knew about him, so that's what I did. That really was the worst year of my life. After it was all over I was diagnosed with depression but I started some counselling sessions and focused on getting the qualifications I needed to go to uni and I managed to pick myself up from rock bottom"

"When did you get back in touch with Mel?" Olivia asked

"About 6 months after I got my new identity. I couldn't face seeing her before because I was so ashamed to admit to her what I'd done"

"I think you were really brave" Lexie said

"Thank you. I certainly didn't feel like it at the time. But if I didn't go through all of that, I don't think I would have become a teacher so that's something positive to take away from it, isn't it"

"Come here girls" Rachel said patting the sofa either side of her as Lexie and Olivia were both visibly upset

Rachel gave them both a hug.

"But it was a long time ago and I got through it. What I really want you two to realise is that no matter what situation you're in, there will always be someone you can go to to get help. If you're in some sort of trouble or a bad situation I hope you feel you can tell me straightaway, but if you can't just make sure you tell someone. Don't struggle alone"

After hearing Rachel's story, Lexie and Olivia both felt even closer to Rachel. They really appreciated how open and honest she'd been with them.

**If anyone has an idea for a storyline I could do with Daisy I'd love to hear it. Really want to do a Daisy one but struggling to think of an idea xxx **


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you so much for the ideas waterlooroad9 x**

Rachel was rushing to Daisy's primary school to pick her up. She'd had a stressful day at work and had ended up leaving later than she should have.

As she made her way from the car, she passed lots of children with their parents going in the opposite direction. Rachel hoped Daisy wouldn't be the only one left in her classroom by the time she got there.

By the time Rachel got to Daisy's classroom, the teacher was letting the last few pupils go.

Rachel was surprised when she didn't send Daisy out and instead came over.

"Hi Rachel. Would you mind coming inside so we can have a quick chat. Daisy's just with the TA"

"Is everything okay?" Rachel asked as they walked into the classroom wondering if Daisy had got into a bit of trouble

"Daisy hasn't really been herself today. She's not been concentrating or focusing on her work and she's been really tearful too. I've tried speaking to her a few times but she won't tell me what's wrong"

"Did you tell her off for not doing her work properly? She's so sensitive so that probably would have been enough to make her tearful all day"

"No not at all. It's not like Daisy so I just wanted to check how she's been at home"

"She's been absolutely fine. She seemed happy before school today"

"Yeah she was happy this morning but then after break she didn't seem right at all"

"Right. Well thanks for letting me know. I'll have a chat with her when we get home to find out what's wrong"

"Will you let me know how she is on Monday?"

"Yeah course I will"

Daisy's teacher went to get her before saying goodbye to them both.

"Have a good weekend Daisy, see you on Monday"

Rachel took hold of Daisy's hand as they walked back to the car. Daisy definitely wasn't her usual self so Rachel was wondering what had happened at school to upset her.

"Is everything okay love?" Rachel asked and Daisy nodded

"Miss Davies told me you've been a bit upset at school today"

"No I haven't" Daisy said defensively

"She must have got a bit confused then. If something did happen at school, you know you can tell me about it though don't you"

"I know"

Rachel decided not to say anything more about it for now as she didn't want to push Daisy. She'd worked with children for long enough to know it was best not to force them into saying what was wrong and was better to let them come to you when they were ready.

They got back to the car and then Rachel started to drive home. She was eager to get home as Lexie'd had her final GCSE exam today so she wanted to see her.

When they were about halfway home Rachel glanced in the mirror at Daisy and saw tears in her eyes. She didn't mention it though as she could tell Daisy wouldn't want a fuss made.

After parking on the drive, Rachel got all of the bags out of the boot before walking inside with Daisy.

"Hiya Lexie, we're home" Rachel called

As soon as she heard Rachel's voice, Lexie went downstairs. She was feeling a bit flat which wasn't how she was expecting to feel after her last GCSE exam. She thought she'd feel a massive sense of relief but that wasn't how she was feeling at all.

"How did your last exam go?"

"Not very well. The questions were so much harder than the ones in the past papers"

"You worked so hard for it though Lex so I'm sure your hard work has paid off"

"I don't think it has to be honest"

"You know I've told you this before. When you come out of an exam you only ever remember the bits you couldn't do and completely forget about all the bits you could answer. You must be feeling relieved to be done though"

"Yeah I guess so" Lexie replied but then she burst into tears all of a sudden

"Oh love, come here" Rachel said before wrapping her arms around Lexie

"I know you wanted this exam to go well and I'm sure it has gone better than you think. There's no point thinking about it now. You've done what you could so now you just need to forget about it and concentrate on having a good summer"

"I know. I don't know why I'm crying. I just thought I'd be feeling a lot more relieved than I am now but I just feel a bit... I don't even know how to describe it" Lexie cried

"You're probably just feeling a bit overwhelmed. You've been working so hard so you're absolutely shattered too"

"I guess. I don't even feel like going to the party tonight anymore"

"I'm sure you'll have a great time once you get there. You've got so much to celebrate with all your friends, you all deserve to have some fun tonight"

"I'll see how I feel later"

"Do you know what I think you should do?"

"What?"

"I think you should go and lie down for a bit, try and have a nap. And then I'll come and wake you up in an hour or so, you can get ready for your party, we'll have a BBQ and then you can go and have an amazing night with your friends"

"I do feel like I could fall asleep right now"

"Exactly. I'm sure you'll feel better for a rest and more in the mood"

"Okay I'll go and have a nap" Lexie said smiling before turning around to go upstairs

"Lexie" Rachel said causing Lexie to turn back around

"I'm so proud of you. You have worked so hard and you should be proud of yourself too" Rachel said before giving Lexie a kiss

"Thanks Rach" Lexie said before going upstairs

Rachel then went to see Daisy who had gone straight upstairs after they'd walked through the front door.

Daisy was lying down on her bed and she looked really sad. Rachel always hated seeing kids upset so went over hoping she'd be able to make Daisy to feel better.

Rachel sat down on the bed and scooped Daisy onto her lap.

"Are you going to tell me what the matter is?" Rachel asked gently

"There's nothing the matter"

"I'm not so sure that's the case Daisy. You don't have to tell me what the matter is but are you feeling a bit upset?"

Daisy nodded before leaning against Rachel's chest as tears formed in her eyes again.

"Are you going to tell me what's making you upset?" Rachel asked but Daisy didn't say anything

"No? Don't want to tell me?"

Daisy simply shook her head as she didn't want to talk about it

"That's okay. How about we just have a cuddle for a bit. Would you like that?"

"Yes please"

Daisy cuddled into Rachel for a while and enjoyed having her back rubbed.

After a while though Daisy stood up.

"I'm going to change out of my school uniform, I'm too hot"

Daisy got a skirt out of her wardrobe and then chose a top too. Rachel stayed with her whilst she got changed.

"What are you going to do now?"

"Can I watch a film?"

"Of course you can. Just come and find me if you want to talk about whatever it is upsetting you. I want to help you sweetheart, but I'm not going to force you to tell me what's wrong"

"Okay" Daisy said before walking out of her bedroom leaving Rachel feeling concerned. She really wished that Daisy would tell her what was wrong rather than keeping her feelings bottled up

Rachel went and got changed out of her work clothes before going downstairs to prepare some food for the BBQ tonight.

She was busy doing that when Olivia came in. She'd been into town with some of her friends after school.

"Hi Liv" Rachel said smiling

"Daisy's crying loads but she won't tell me what's wrong" Olivia said feeling worried about her sister

"Okay I'll go and have a word with her"

Rachel went into the lounge where Daisy was sat crying.

"Please tell me what's making you so upset Daisy" Rachel said as she sat down on the sofa "I'm sure it won't seem half as bad if you tell me what it is"

"I don't want to talk about it"

"Why not though?"

"Because I'm trying to forget so I can feel happy again. But I won't be able to forget if you make me talk about it"

"I'd say the best way to feel happy again is to talk about it. Honestly darling it's much better to do that than keep it to yourself"

"It's all Chloe's fault"

"Who's Chloe?" Rachel asked

"She's a new girl in my class. She started on Monday"

"Has she been mean to you?"

"No"

"So what's her fault?"

"She was asking me loads of questions about Mummy and Daddy and now I can't stop thinking about them" Daisy admitted

"What sort of things was she asking you?"

"Well someone told her that I live with you now because of what happened to Mummy and Daddy so she was asking me about what it was like living with you. I told her that I really like living with you but then she said that she'd hate to not have a Mum or Dad and that it must be horrible"

"I'm sure she didn't mean to upset you love but I can see why it's made you feel sad"

"I wanted to stop talking about it but she kept asking me loads of things"

"Well next time someone says something that makes you feel a bit upset or uncomfortable, tell them you don't want to talk about it"

"I didn't want to be rude though. Miss Davies said we have to be nice to her because she's new so she's probably a bit nervous"

"It's not being rude sweetheart. Nobody should have to feel upset because they're having to talk about something they don't want to. I'll have a word with Miss Davies on Monday so she can tell Chloe not to ask so many questions in future"

"I really like Chloe though, I don't want her to get into trouble"

"She won't get into trouble, I promise"

"Rachel is it weird that I like living with you? Should I miss Mummy and Daddy more than I do?"

"Of course it's not weird. I'm really glad that you like living with me. I'd hate to think you're unhappy here and I know Mummy and Daddy would too"

"So you don't think they're cross with me for not missing them enough?"

"They most definitely aren't cross with you, no. Just because you don't think about them all the time, doesn't mean you don't miss them because I know you still miss them lots and lots. But I know that what Mummy and Daddy would want more than anything else, is for you and Olivia to be happy"

"I feel sad now though"

"You do now but everyone feels sad sometimes. You're going to miss them for the rest of your life and get upset sometimes but what they'd hope is that you feel happy most of the time"

"I think I feel happy most of the time"

"You seem happy to me most of the time. Just remember you don't always have to be okay and I'm here for you whenever you aren't. Well I'm here for you when you are okay too"

"I love you Rachel" Daisy said as she cuddled Rachel tighter

"I love you too sweetheart, so so much"

"Rachel please can I look through some photo albums?" Daisy asked

"That's a good idea. Do you want to look through them in the kitchen whilst I get stuff ready for the BBQ"

"I forgot we're having a BBQ. I love BBQs"

Rachel found a couple of photo albums for Daisy to look through. One of Vicky's of when Olivia and Daisy were little and one that Rachel had put together from a holiday she'd been on with Angela and Vicky at the end of uni.

The two of them went through to the kitchen. Daisy sat at the breakfast bar to look through the photo albums and Rachel went back to preparing the salad.

After a few minutes there was a knock at the door.

Rachel went to let Eddie in as he was coming over for the BBQ.

They hadn't seen each other for a few days now so Rachel had been really looking forward to his company tonight. She really did miss seeing him everyday at Waterloo Road.

Eddie joined Daisy and Rachel in the kitchen so Rachel poured them a gin and tonic each.

"How did Lexie's last exam go?" Eddie asked

"Not as well as she was hoping"

"Well at least she's done. I bet she's so happy to have finished them"

"She's actually a bit overwhelmed and emotional. She's having a nap so I'm hoping she'll feel a bit better once she wakes up"

"It's a big day. She's starting one of the best times of her life"

"She sure is"

They were soon joined by Olivia who was glad to see that Daisy was looking a lot happier.

"I just went to see Lexie but she's asleep" Olivia said

"Yeah she's absolutely shattered. She's just having a nap but I'm going to wake her up soon"

Rachel could hear Daisy giggling and was glad she was feeling happier.

"What are you giggling at missy?" Rachel asked her

"You're kissing a boy in this photo"

Rachel had forgotten about that photo and was beginning to wonder what else Daisy could end up finding in the photo album, knowing at times that holiday had been quite wild.

After that, Rachel kept a close eye on the photos Daisy was looking at and was relieved when she decided to move onto another one.

Rachel decided to go upstairs to wake Lexie up.

Lexie was fast asleep when Rachel went into her bedroom so she did feel a bit bad waking her. She knew she'd want to get ready properly though and would be rushing if she didn't wake up soon.

Rachel gently woke Lexie up.

Lexie sleepily sat up in bed.

"I wasn't expecting to actually fall asleep"

"Do you feel better for it?"

"Not sure yet. Hopefully once I start moving"

"I would have left you to sleep longer but I thought you'd want to start getting ready or do you still not feel like going?"

"I do want to go, I know I'll regret it if I don't go. Rachel please will you curl my hair for me tonight?"

"Yeah sure. Just shout when you're ready for me"

Rachel was about to go downstairs but suddenly remembered something.

"Can you come downstairs with me quickly before you start getting ready?"

"Why?"

"You'll see"

Lexie put on a pair of pyjama bottoms as she'd gone to sleep just in her top and knickers before going down with Rachel.

As soon as she walked in, Lexie noticed the present and card with her name on.

Rachel picked it up and gave it to her.

"We got you a little something to say well done for all the hard work you've put in for your exams. I'm so proud of how hard you've worked" Rachel said

"Thank you, you didn't have to get me anything though. We don't know what my results are going to be like yet either"

"I don't care what your results are. This is a present for trying your best"

Lexie opened the card first and then the present. She smiled when she saw it was an eyeshadow palette that she'd been wanting for a while now and a new lipstick.

"Thank you so much. I'm glad you gave it to me before I did my makeup, I can't wait to use it"

Lexie gave them all a hug to say thank you before going upstairs to get ready.

She put on her concealer and foundation before having a proper look through her new eye shadow palette to decide which colours to use. After deciding Lexie spent a while on her eye makeup and ended up doing a really good job.

Once she'd finished her makeup Lexie got changed before shouting to Rachel that she was ready to have her hair done.

Whilst she was waiting for Rachel Lexie looked in the mirror at what she was wearing and felt unhappy with her outfit.

When Rachel came in Lexie was looking through her wardrobe trying to find a different top to wear with the high waisted black denim skirt she had on.

Rachel had a look at Lexie's eye makeup.

"Wow Lex, your eyes look amazing"

"The palette is so good. The colours are all so nice, it took me ages to decide which ones to use first"

"Your eyes look stunning"

"Rach I don't know what to wear"

"What's wrong with what you've got on?"

"I don't think it looks right. I'm trying to choose a different top"

"How about that crop top you bought a few weeks ago? The black and white spotty one"

"Don't you think it's a bit casual?"

"No I think it will look lovely especially with your hair and makeup done nicely"

"I'll try it on"

Rachel plugged the straighteners in whilst Lexie quickly changed her top.

Lexie decided she would wear it so sat down ready for Rachel to curl her hair.

It felt really nice to be able to just get ready and not be worrying about revision, which seemed to have taken over her life recently. She was definitely feeling much more relieved about finishing than she did earlier and was starting to get really excited about the party.

Rachel and Lexie had a nice chat whilst Lexie had her hair curled. Once it was done the two of them went downstairs.

"Right Eddie are you in charge of the BBQ?" Rachel asked handing him a plate with all the raw meat on

"Do I have choice?" Eddie asked laughing

"Not really"

Lexie enjoyed having a BBQ with them all but now she just wanted to get to the party.

"Are you ready to go now?" Rachel asked

"Yes please if that's okay"

"Course it is. Come on, I'll drop you over now"

Lexie quickly went upstairs to put on some lipstick and pick up her stuff before going to the hallway where Rachel was waiting for her.

"Did you buy the bottle of Malibu for me?" Lexie asked

"Yes, it's in the boot still. Make sure you drink sensibly tonight please"

"I will"

"I think tonight is going to be a massive celebration for everyone so I'd imagine lots of people are going to end up getting a bit carried away. Just remember to drink slowly so that the alcohol doesn't suddenly hit you and make you too drunk"

"I'll be sensible"

"I'm not saying to not let your hair down though, you deserve to have so much fun tonight"

"I'm really excited now"

"Come on then, let's get going"

Rachel dropped Lexie to the party.

After saying goodbye to Rachel Lexie went inside and took her stuff up to Amy's room before going outside where she spotted Matt.

Lexie had been dating Matt for about a month now. She'd made up with her friends and Abbey had said she was happy if she wanted to start a relationship with Matt in the end.

Matt was drinking a beer so Lexie poured herself a Malibu and lemonade.

After a while the house had filled up considerably and Lexie was feeling really happy.

It was such a nice feeling to be chatting with all of her friends and drinking knowing that they'd all finished their exams.

Lexie was beginning to feel quite tipsy. She always did love the feeling but knew she needed to slow down on the drinking a bit so that she could enjoy the whole evening. Unlike some of her friends, Lexie was quite good at knowing her limits.

Jess suddenly appeared next to Lexie and Lexie realised that she hadn't seen Jess for ages.

"Where've you been?" Lexie asked

"Just inside. You don't have a drink"

"I know I'll get another one in a minute"

Jess was definitely not taking things slowly and was getting a bit carried away.

After a little while Jess and Lexie decided to go up to the toilet.

"Did you see some year 13s have turned up?" Jess asked

"Yeah I did"

"I was talking to Ryan James for ages. I think he was flirting with me"

"Really?"

"Yeah and he's so hot" Jess said clearly impressed by the fact she'd had the attention of a year 13 boy

"I know he's hot but he's been with so many girls"

"Maybe I'll be one of them soon too" Jess said giggling

Once Lexie and Jess had both been to the loo they went back downstairs and Lexie had a few more drinks.

She was stood with her five best friends and they were all fairly drunk and starting to get emotional.

"I love you all so much" Lexie said as she started to cry "I don't know what I'd do without you"

Lexie felt so grateful to have such a close group of friends. They all often got a bit soppy when they'd been drinking.

The evening was going really quickly and Lexie wished that it would slow down because she was having so much fun.

"I think we should do a shot" Amy said

"I'll go get Jess, we should all do one together" Lexie said as Jess wasn't with them

Lexie went to try and find Jess. She'd seen her getting off with Ryan earlier though so guessed she might be with him.

After looking everywhere downstairs and outside Lexie decided to try upstairs.

She wasn't in the bathroom or Amy's bedroom so Lexie was beginning to wonder where she was.

Lexie then opened the door to the spare bedroom and was in utter shock at what she saw.

**Going to continue this in the next chapter xx **


	15. Chapter 15

**This chapter is about rape. Please don't read if it will trigger/upset you. **

**Continues on from the previous chapter x **

Jess was lying on the bed, and it looked like she was asleep, with Ryan on top of her.

Ryan hadn't heard Lexie open the door so carried on with what he was doing.

Lexie wanted to stop him but she felt too scared to go in. Instead she ran downstairs to tell her friends and found Amy.

Amy went straight upstairs. By the time Amy got up there Ryan was just pulling his trousers back up.

"Get out of my house. Now" Amy screamed

"There's no need to be so mad. We're not the only ones that that have slept together in your house tonight"

"Jess is asleep. You didn't sleep together. It's called rape. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Jess wanted it. It's not my fault she's so pissed she ended up falling asleep"

"Get out. I fucking hate you" Amy shouted hysterically whilst pushing him

"Fine I'm going. I didn't rape Jess though. Like I said, she was all over me"

Amy turned around to face Lexie and they were both crying, both in shock at what he'd just done to their best friend.

"What's all the shouting about?" Jess said sleepily from the bed

"Nothing it doesn't matter" Lexie replied

"Where's Ryan? I thought he came up here with me"

Amy and Lexie went into the room to sit next to Jess. They both noticed Jess' knickers on the floor.

"He left. Are you okay?"

"Mm" Jess said before closing her eyes again and going back to sleep

Lexie and Amy left Jess and hoped she would stay asleep. The two of them went into Amy's bedroom.

"Do you think she'll remember what happened in the morning?" Amy asked

"I really hope not. I wonder if she was awake for any of it"

"Even if she doesn't remember, we'll have to tell her"

"I know. She needs to go to the police"

After what had just happened Amy and Lexie were not in the mood for celebrating anymore. The events of the night had also sobered them up a considerable amount.

Amy got everyone out of her house.

"Has something happened Amy?" Abbey asked after everyone apart from Lexie's best friends had left. They were all staying the night

Amy and Lexie looked so upset so they were all wondering what was going on.

"Lexie found Jess and Ryan having sex, but Jess was half asleep" Amy told them

"You're not serious?" Abbey asked in disbelief

"We're completely serious. I went into stop him but by the time I got there he was pulling his jeans up so I guess he'd finished by then" Amy said

The 5 of them were all so upset and stayed up talking for a while about what they were going to do. Eventually they decided to try and get some sleep though so Lexie went into the spare bedroom with Jess.

Lexie barely got any sleep as she couldn't stop thinking about what had happened to Jess.

It was about 6 when Jess started to stir. Lexie was already wide awake.

Jess realised at once that she couldn't remember going to bed and realised she'd had way too much to drink. But then she started remembering bits of the night including lying on the bed with Ryan hovering over her.

"Did I sleep with Ryan last night?" Jess asked

Lexie hadn't even realised that Jess had woken up. She sat up and looked at Jess.

"Oh Jess I really don't know how to tell you this"

"Tell me what?"

Lexie took a deep breath. She knew she just needed to tell her.

"I found you and Ryan up here last night. He was inside of you but you were kind of asleep"

"What do you mean?"

"He had sex with you without your consent. I'm so sorry Jess"

Jess remembered going upstairs with him and she remembered kissing him a lot. But she also remembered getting tired and telling him to stop when he was trying to put his hand up her dress. Apart from that she didn't remember much about being upstairs with Ryan. She was desperately trying to remember everything but she just couldn't.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah I saw it with my own eyes. I'm so sorry Jess"

"I don't remember it" Jess said feeling absolutely awful

Tears immediately began to form in her eyes so Lexie wrapped her arms around Jess.

After a while Jess pulled away from Lexie.

"I think I'm going to go back to sleep for a bit" Jess said even though she knew the chances of this were very unlikely

Lexie wished there was something she could do or say to make Jess feel better.

Jess and Lexie both stayed lying in bed until about 8 although neither of them went back to sleep.

Jess went and had a shower and Lexie went into Amy's bedroom where the others all slept.

They all felt dreadful after what had happened and because they'd barely had any sleep.

After a while Jess came in. She was dressed and said she was going to walk home now.

"Rachel's coming to get me soon. She'll give you a lift" Lexie said

"No it's okay. I could do with the walk to be honest. I feel so hungover. How's everyone else feeling?"

Jess was trying to act as though nothing had happened.

""Horrendous. I hope my parent's don't come back too early" Amy replied

"I don't think I've ever felt this hungover" Lexie said truthfully

"Anyway. I'm going to head off, thanks for a great party Amy. See you all soon" Jess said before going downstairs

Lexie followed her down.

"Jess you know where I am if you want to talk about what happened. You can call me whenever, even if it's the middle of the night"

"Lex, I'm fine"

"Okay, you're going to tell your Mum what happened though aren't you?"

"No way. Why does she need to know?"

"So she can be there for you and so she can go to the police with you"

"Police? Why do the police need to be involved?" Jess asked sounding genuinely shocked

"Because what Ryan did was so wrong. He needs to be reported"

"I don't need to tell the police"

"Yes you do Jess. I can come with you if you like"

"Just leave it Lex. Why do you always think you know best" Jess shouted before walking out of Amy's house

Part of Lexie wanted to go after Jess but she also knew her best friend probably needed some space. So Lexie went upstairs and got dressed. She hoped Rachel would be here soon to pick her up as she just wanted to get into her own bed.

Rachel didn't come for another hour. As soon as Lexie saw Rachel's car pull up, she went straight out and got in.

"Sorry I'm a bit later than I said love. We had a lovely lie in this morning"

"That's okay"

"So how was last night, did you have a really good time?"

"Yeah it was really good thanks. I'm so tired now though"

Lexie was really quiet on the way home but Rachel put it down to the fact she'd had a late night and probably had too much to drink as well.

When they got home, Rachel and Lexie got out of the car and went inside.

"Have you had breakfast?"

"No but I'm not really hungry"

"I can make you a bacon sandwich or something if you fancy it"

"No I'm going to go lie down for a bit, I'm really tired after last night"

"Okay love"

Lexie went upstairs to Rachel went into the lounge where Olivia and Daisy were watching TV. Neither of them were dressed yet.

"Are you pair planning on getting dressed any time soon? Eddie's going to be back soon with Michael"

"Yeah I'm going up for a shower now" Olivia said

"How about you Daisy?"

"I don't want to get dressed"

"Well you need to if you want to go out somewhere today"

"I'll just get dressed before we go out, I don't need to get dressed yet"

"Go and get dressed now Daisy. I don't think there's any need for you to still be in hour pyjamas when Michael comes"

Daisy sighed but got up off the sofa to go and get dressed.

Rachel went up with her.

Daisy picked out an outfit and started to get dressed.

"What do you fancy doing with Michael then?" Rachel asked

"I don't mind"

"Is everything okay Daisy?"

"Yes why wouldn't it be?"

"Well you've been excited all week about spending the day with Michael and having a sleepover with him but now you don't seem very happy"

"I am happy"

"Okay. I think Michael is hoping to go swimming this afternoon, do you fancy that?"

"Yeah that would be fun"

"Well maybe we could go for a walk first and feed the ducks and then go swimming"

"Can I go and watch TV again now?" Daisy asked once she was dressed

"Of course you can"

Rachel made Daisy's bed before going to check on Lexie.

Lexie wasn't in bed but then Rachel heard Lexie being sick in her en suite. Rachel went in and scraped Lexie's hair back into a pony tail and then rubbed her back whilst she continued to be sick.

Once she'd finished being sick Lexie flushed the loo before sitting back against the wall.

"Oh dear, did you have too much to drink last night?"

"I guess so. I didn't feel any drunker than other times though and I've never been sick the day after a party before" Lexie said with tears in her eyes. Being sick always made her tearful

"What did you drink last night?"

"Urmm mainly Malibu and I really liked Amy's gin but I did a couple of shots too. Oh and I had some wine too and a cider. "

"That's some mixture which probably explains why you're feeling so awful today. Do you think you're going to be sick anymore?"

"I'm not sure"

"Why don't you have a shower? You'll better for being fresh and clean"

"I don't think I can right now"

"How about a bath then?"

"Maybe later. I just want to get into bed for now" Lexie said as she felt awful

Lexie climbed into bed so Rachel went and sat by her.

"Try and get some sleep love" Rachel said as Lexie closed her eyes

Rachel left Lexie to it and went back downstairs.

She decided to hoover the lounge quickly.

Rachel was just putting the hoover away when Eddie knocked on the door. She went and let him and Michael in.

"Hi Rachel" Michael said with a big grin on his face

"Hi Michael, come on in"

Michael and Eddie came inside.

"Daisy's in the lounge watching TV if you want to go in Michael"

Michael went and joined Daisy in the lounge and Rachel and Eddie went into the kitchen.

"I'm making a vegetable soup for lunch but I just thought, does Michael like soup?"

"He normally kicks up a fuss whenever we go to my Mum's and she's made soup but then he ends up really enjoying it"

"Well if he really doesn't want it I can always make him a sandwich"

"Rach, he'll be fine. So what do you want to do today?"

"Daisy said she'd like to go swimming too so I thought we could go for a walk first to get some fresh air and then go swimming?"

"Sounds like a plan"

"Daisy doesn't seem herself again today but I think she's just a bit tired. Hopefully she'll be better after lunch"

Once the soup was ready Rachel called all the kids through.

Olivia, Daisy and Michael came in.

Olivia and Michael sat straight at the table but Daisy went over to Rachel.

"Are you feeling okay love? You look a bit pale?"

"I'm okay"

Rachel put her hand against Daisy's forehead which felt a bit clammy.

"Are you sure? You feel a bit hot and clammy"

"I'm sure. Please can I have a cuddle?"

"Of course you can"

Rachel gave Daisy a quick cuddle before dishing up the soup for everyone.

"I'm just going to go and see if Lexie's coming down" Rachel said after dishing the soup out

Lexie was lying in bed but she wasn't asleep.

"Are you going to come down and have some soup for lunch Lex?"

"No I'm not hungry"

"Have you been sick again?"

"No but I still feel like I might be"

"Feeling hungover is horrible. If I were you I'd have something to eat and then come out for a walk with us after lunch. Fresh air does you the world of good when you're hungover, trust me"

"I really can't eat anything right now Rachel"

Rachel left Lexie to it and went downstairs to eat her soup.

"Lexie's feeling too rough to eat apparently"

"Big night, was it?"

"She mixed her drinks too much, I think that's the issue"

"What are we doing this afternoon Rach?" Olivia asked

"We're going to go for a walk and then go swimming. Do you want to come?"

"I guess I'll come on the walk but I don't really fancy swimming, especially if Lexie isn't coming"

"That's fine. I'll just drop you home quickly after the walk"

After lunch Rachel and Eddie cleared up before getting ready to go swimming.

Rachel went upstairs to check on Lexie again.

Lexie had just finished cleaning her teeth but came out of her en suite when she heard Rachel come in.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Quite a bit better actually, I've just been sick again though"

"That's good. We're going to head out for a walk soon, are you coming?"

"I really don't feel up to it Rach"

"I think you should. It really will make you feel better"

Lexie hadn't been able to sleep as she couldn't stop thinking about Jess so decided she would go out to try and take her mind off things.

"Okay I'll come. Do I have time for a shower first though?"

"Yeah just try not to be too long"

Lexie had a quick shower and once she was ready they all headed out for a walk.

They went to a lake because Rachel knew Daisy and Michael would both like to feed the ducks.

They stopped in a cafe to have a coffee first.

Olivia took Michael into the park but Daisy wanted to stay sitting down. She was feeling a bit poorly but hadn't told anyone.

After Rachel and Eddie had a coffee they walked around the lake.

Lexie and Daisy were both extremely quiet the whole way round.

Rachel assumed it was because Lexie was feeling hungover but she had no idea the real reason why Lexie was being so quiet.

Daisy was feeling really sick now. She wanted to tell Rachel but felt too embarrassed to say anything in front of everyone.

"Rachel I need a wee" Daisy said once they were back in the car park so that she could tell Rachel in private that she was feeling poorly

"Oh I need to go too Daisy, I'll take you" Olivia said

"Thanks love" Rachel said

Daisy made her way to the toilets with Olivia, feeling annoyed that it wasn't Rachel that had taken her.

Once Olivia and Daisy had been to the loo, Rachel dropped Lexie and Olivia home before going to the swimming pool.

Lexie couldn't stop worrying about Jess. She'd tried ringing Jess a couple of times and had text her loads but hadn't heard anything back. Lexie decided she would go over to Jess' house as she needed to check how she was.

"Liv I'm going to see Jess for a bit. Will you be okay here on your own?"

"Yeah I'll be fine"

"What time are you going to your sleepover?"

"Rachel said she'll drop me over when they're back from swimming"

"Okay well just ring me if you need me"

"See you later"

"Bye Liv"

Lexie walked round to Jess' house and knocked on the front door.

Jess' Mum answered straightaway.

"Hiya, is Jess in?" Lexie asked

"Yeah but she's in bed not feeling too good. I take it you all had a good night last night?"

"It was really good thanks. Can I go up and see Jess?"

"I don't think she's up for visitors Lexie and I think she's asleep anyway. I'll tell her you stopped by though and get her to give you a call later if you like"

"Yeah that would be great thanks. Is Jess okay though?"

"She'll be fine. Hopefully this will teach her not to drink so much in the future"

Lexie really wished Jess' Mum would let her in but it didn't look as though that was going to happen so Lexie left again.

From speaking to Jess' Mum, it didn't sound as though Jess had told her Mum. Lexie really wished she would as she knew Jess shouldn't be going through something as big as this alone.

Lexie took a long way home as she wanted to try and clear her head. She was surprised when she got home and saw Rachel's car on the drive as she wasn't expecting them back yet.

Lexie went into the kitchen and spoke to Rachel.

"You didn't stay swimming very long"

"We didn't make it into the pool. Daisy was sick all over the floor in the changing rooms"

"Oh no, poor Daisy"

"Poor thing. She hadn't seemed right all morning, I should have known swimming wasn't a good idea really"

"Where's Eddie?"

"He's gone home with Michael. No point them staying here if Daisy's got a bug she could pass on"

"Oh god I hope she doesn't pass it onto us"

"Me too. I think I've dealt with my fair share of sick already today really"

"Sorry"

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah loads better than this morning thanks"

"Good. Is everything okay Lex?"

"Yeah why?"

"I'm just checking"

"I'm going to go and watch Netflix for a bit"

"Okay love. I need to drop Olivia to her sleepover in a bit, are you alright to keep an eye on Daisy while I'm gone?"

"Yeah of course"

Lexie went up to her room. She came out and sat with Daisy whilst Rachel dropped Olivia to her sleepover and then again for tea, but apart from that she spent all day in her room.

Rachel was beginning to worry about Lexie as she definitely hadn't seemed herself since the party and Rachel was starting to think it was more than just a hangover.

After getting Daisy off to sleep, which had taken a lot longer than usual, Rachel went into Lexie's room and sat on her bed.

"Has something happened that you want to talk about sweetheart?" Rachel asked softly

Part of Lexie really wanted to tell Rachel about Jess but she didn't feel like it was her place to say. If Rachel knew she would definitely speak to Jess' Mum about it and Lexie didn't want Jess to get mad with her for interfering.

"No I'm okay"

"You sure?" Rachel asked to which Lexie gave a small nod

"Well if you do want to talk, you know where I am" Rachel said giving Lexie's hand a tight squeeze

"Thank you"

"Do you fancy coming down and watching some TV for a bit?"

"I'm really tired so I think I'm just going to have an early night"

"Hopefully you'll feel better for a good sleep"

"I'm sure I will. Night Rachel"

"Night night"

Rachel left, leaving Lexie alone to think about Jess just like she had been all day. Jess still hadn't got back to her and Lexie was getting more and more worried.

Lexie could only imagine how Jess was feeling. She knew if it were her she'd probably be doing the same and trying to avoid facing what had happened. But Lexie knew this was only going to make things worse in the long run. She just didn't know what to do to help Jess.

The whole thing seemed so unreal and really scary.

Previously, Lexie thought she was ready to loose her virginity and had spoken to Matt about it quite a bit. Now sex seemed like a really scary thing again and not something Lexie felt ready for anymore.

Lexie decided to try and get some sleep and then try and reach Jess again tomorrow. Whatever she did though, she just didn't seem to be able to get to sleep.

She heard Rachel come up to bed and then more time passed and Lexie still hadn't been to sleep.

Lexie hated lying there on her own not being able to sleep. She didn't know why but she felt really apprehensive and didn't want to be alone. Lexie's heart was racing and in the end she decided to go into Rachel's room.

Lexie went and stood by Rachel who was asleep.

"Rachel" Lexie said

It only took a few moments for Rachel to wake up so she sat up in bed.

"Lexie, what's up love? Has Daisy been sick?"

"No it's not Daisy. I was just wondering if I could maybe sleep in with you tonight" Lexie asked feeling really embarrassed

"Of course you can. Come on, jump in"

Rachel pulled the covers back so Lexie got into bed next to Rachel.

"I haven't been to sleep yet"

"Is there something on your mind?"

"No not really, I just can't sleep for some reason" Lexie lied

"It's horrible not being able to sleep. Why don't you turn over and I'll rub your back"

Lexie turned over and Rachel started to rub her back. It felt so nice and comforting and after a little while Lexie fell into a light sleep.

Now Rachel was struggling to sleep as she was worried about Lexie. She knew there was something up with her as it was unusual for Lexie or Olivia to want to come into bed with her unless they were poorly or upset about something.

Lexie was only in a light sleep but she started having some bad dreams. Rachel was still awake so she heard Lexie's breathing become really loud and shallow. She could tell she was having a bad dream.

"Lexie, it's okay. You're just having a bad dream" Rachel said shaking Lexie

Lexie woke up and sat bolt up right in bed, her breathing still fast and panicky.

"Take some deep breaths Lex, it's okay. You're safe, look you're in bed with me" Rachel said while rubbing Lexie's back

After a couple of minutes Lexie calmed down.

"What's up Lex?"

"Nothing I'm fine"

"Come on, please tell me. The only way I can help you is if you tell me what the matter is"

"There's nothing the matter. I need the loo"

Lexie slipped out of bed and went into Rachel's en suite.

She thought about going back to her own bed so that Rachel wouldn't question her about what was wrong but for some reason she couldn't face it. She felt so childish, but Lexie just didn't want to sleep on her own tonight.

After going to the loo, Lexie got back into bed beside Rachel and laid down.

"Sorry for waking you up Rachel. See you in the morning"

Lexie closed her eyes and dropped off to sleep again after a while. This time she managed to sleep right through to the morning.

When she woke up Rachel was still in bed and Daisy was the other side of her.

"Sorry if you didn't have very much room last night, I didn't realise Daisy came in"

"She was sick again at about 4 and wanted to come in with me. I made sure she was really quiet so she didn't wake you"

Lexie snuggled up to Rachel and Rachel wrapped her arm around her.

"Do you fancy going downstairs for a coffee?" Rachel asked wanting to use the moment with Daisy still asleep to talk to Lexie

"Yeah okay"

Rachel and Lexie both went down to the kitchen and Rachel made them a coffee each.

It was raining really heavily so the two of them sat there listening to the heavy rain for a bit.

"I was worried about you last night" Rachel said

"Why?"

"You were just so unsettled when you were sleeping. You didn't seem yourself at all"

"Sorry if I kept you awake"

"You don't need to be sorry. I was up with Daisy throughout the night anyway. I do wish you'd tell me what's making you worried because I can tell there's something"

"I can't say"

"Yes you can, you know you can tell me absolutely anything"

"I want to tell you but I really shouldn't" Lexie said as her eyes brimmed with tears

"Sweetheart, there is nothing you can't tell me. Trust me, there's no need to keep this to yourself. Now did something happen at the party?"

Lexie was still for a few moments before giving a small nod of her head.

"Did something happen with Matt and now you regret it?" Rachel asked as this is what she'd been wondering had happened

Lexie shook her head.

"It's not about me. That's why I don't know if I should tell you" Lexie said quietly

"Okay. Can you tell me who it is about?"

"Jess"

"So something happened to Jess at the party?"

"Yes"

"And now you're worried about Jess and you don't know what to do?" Rachel asked and Lexie nodded

"She hasn't answered any of my calls or texts since the party and I don't think she's told her Mum either. I'm so worried about her" Lexie cried

"Whatever happened to Jess, you can tell me. I'm guessing you're worried Jess will be mad with you for telling me, but I think you telling me is in Jess' best interest right now. I can tell whatever happened is really bad from how worried you are so my guess is that Jess needs some adult support"

"She does but I don't think she'll tell her Mum. There's loads of things Jess hasn't felt she can talk to her Mum about"

"So tell me and then I can make sure Jess gets the support she needs"

Lexie knew she needed to tell Rachel, even if it meant Jess being mad at her.

Lexie took a deep breath before telling Rachel.

"Jess was raped at the party. I walked in on her and Ryan James at the party. He was inside of Jess but Jess was completely out of it and half asleep. I wanted to go in and stop him but I was too scared" Lexie said feeling really guilty

"So then what happened?"

"I ran downstairs to tell someone. I found Amy but by the time I got back upstairs Ryan was pulling his jeans back up. I can't believe I didn't stop him"

Rachel took hold of Lexie's hands.

"Lexie, this isn't your fault. I'm not surprised you felt scared to stop a year 13 boy from doing something that is so unimaginable. The only person in the wrong here is Ryan. Not you and not Jess"

"I don't understand. Why would Ryan do that?"

"Because sometimes boys think they have the right to do whatever they want with a girl's body no matter how the girl feels. Not all boys are like it but some are completely pig headed and if they want sex, they'll get it with or without the consent of a girl"

"And now Jess is going to suffer with this probably for the rest of her life because of him"

"It's going to be so hard for Jess but with support from you and the rest of your friends and her Mum and her family and me and a councelor she will get through it. You're probably right, it's probably something that will affect her for the rest of her life but it will get easier and she will learn to live with it and be happy again"

"I wish it hadn't happened to her, we were going to have the best summer"

"I wish it happened happened too. Lex, was Jess a virgin?"

Lexie shook her head.

"She lost her virginity when she was 14 but she broke up with her boyfriend at the end of year 10 and she hadn't had sex since then. Rach I just thought... what if Ryan didn't even use any protection?"

"Hopefully he did but Jess should really get the morning after pill and be tested for STIs"

"I bet she hasn't. I think she's trying to pretend it didn't happen. How can I make her talk to me?"

"You can't make her love. All you can do is continue to tell her you're there for her and hopefully sometime soon she'll accept the help"

Lexie put her head in her hands and cried. Rachel rubbed her back whilst she cried but after a few minutes looked up and saw Daisy stood there.

"Morning Dais. How are you feeling?"

"A bit better I think"

"I think it's best you don't eat anything yet though. Maybe if you haven't been sick by this afternoon I'll get you some dry toast"

Rachel then stood up from her chair.

"I'll be back in a minute love" Rachel said to Lexie

Rachel took Daisy into the lounge.

"Do you want to watch a film?"

"Yeah can I watch Moana?"

Rachel put Moana on for Daisy.

"Rachel why was Lexie crying?"

"She's just a bit upset at the moment but she'll be okay"

"What's she upset about?"

"It's nothing for you to worry about"

"But I am worried. I don't want Lexie to be sad"

"You know sometimes you're upset and you tell me why but you don't want anyone else knowing why you're upset?" Rachel asked and Daisy nodded

"Well I think that's how Lexie's feeling now"

"Okay. Have you given her lots of special cuddles"

"Yes I have. Right, I'm going to go and see Lexie again now"

Daisy was settled for the minute so Rachel left her to it.

Rachel then returned to Lexie.

"Are you feeling a bit better now you've told me?"

"I guess but I still can't stop thinking how horrible it is for Jess"

"I know love, I know" Rachel sighed

"I'm going to go round to Jess' later. I tried yesterday but her Mum wouldn't let me in"

"Jess might have told her Mum by now, you never know"

"Maybe but I doubt it. Do you think we should tell her Mum?"

"I think it depends what happens over the next few days. I won't tell her Mum to start with because I don't want to do something behind Jess' back but if it comes to it and I think I need to, then I will"

Rachel and Lexie continued to talk for a few more minutes before Rachel went up for a shower.

After showering and washing her hair, Rachel went downstairs and watched a bit of the film with Daisy.

It was coming towards the end of the film when there was a knock at the door so Rachel went to answer it.

Rachel answered it and saw Jess stood there. Her hair was still soaking wet from the shower she'd just had and she looked so sad.

"Hi Rachel, is Lexie in?"

"Yeah she's just in her room, go on up"

Rachel closed the door and then decided maybe she could have a chat with Jess on her own.

"Before you go up though Jess" Rachel said as Jess reached the bottom of the stairs "can I have a quick chat love?"

Jess nodded before following Rachel into the kitchen.

"Take a seat" Rachel said so Jess sat down and Rachel sat down next to her

"Jess, Lexie told me what Ryan did at the party and I am so so sorry"

"Lexie told you?"

"Yes but only because she was so worried about you. Please don't be mad with her"

"I'm not mad, I know she was just trying to help"

"How are you?" Rachel asked and Jess shrugged

Rachel could tell Jess was trying so hard to fight back tears.

Rachel took hold of Jess' hand.

"It's okay if you want to cry. I know you must be feeling so many emotions right now"

Jess still tried not to let her tears fall but in the end she couldn't help it.

Rachel immediately wrapped her arms around Jess and held her while she cried.

Lexie came into the kitchen and was shocked when she saw Jess breaking down in Rachel's arms.

Rachel mouthed to Lexie to give her some time alone with Jess.

Jess was crying hysterically and there was nothing Rachel could do other than rub the girls back and stroke her hair to show her she was there.

After a while Jess started to calm down.

"Jess have you told your Mum?" Rachel asked and Jess shook her head

"I tried to tell her last night but I couldn't get the words to come out"

"That's okay. Would you like me to tell her?"

"No I don't want her to know"

"Okay, I'm not going to make you if you really don't want to but I really do think it's best that she knows"

"Please don't tell her"

"I promise I won't"

"Thank you"

"Do you know if Ryan used a condom?"

"I'm not sure"

"We need to get you the morning after pill then and you need to have some STI tests done"

"I know. That's why I came to see Lexie, to ask her to come with me"

"That's really brave and grown up of you. I'm sure Lexie will be more than happy to go with you"

"Rachel could you maybe come too? Don't worry if you're busy though" Jess asked. She really trusted her head teacher and the thought of going with her seemed a lot less scary

"Of course I will sweetheart. Do you want Lexie to come as well or just me?"

"Could we maybe go just the two of us?"

"We can do whatever you prefer. Do you want to speak to Lexie before we leave?"

"Yes please"

Jess went upstairs to talk to Lexie whilst Rachel got ready to go.

Rachel explained to Daisy that she had to go out for a bit but Lexie was going to look after her. Daisy was reluctant for Rachel to go but understood that Jess needed her help.

Rachel then drove to the hospital with Jess. She wasn't really sure of the best place to go but thought the hospital might be best.

Jess sat down and Rachel went over to reception to get Lexie signed in.

They had to wait quite a while but eventually Jess' name was called.

Rachel could tell at once that the nurse was really kind and sympathetic which was a relief.

"So we'll start by giving you the morning after pill Jess and then I'll do the tests that I need to do. Is that okay?" The nurse asked and Lexie nodded

Jess was really nervous having the swabs taken and bloods done but was relieved to have Rachel there holding her hand.

The nurse finished the tests and then came and sat down by Jess.

"Right we're all done Jess. I'm going to give you the contact details for a sexual assault referral centre. If you decide you want to report the rape then they'll be able to support you through it and they can also help you make a decision about whether to report it or not so I'd really encourage you to contact them tomorrow"

"What happens if I want to report it?" Jess asked but she was really unsure about whether she wanted to or not

"That's what they'll talk to you about. If you report it you'll have to have a forensic medical examination. They can do the examination regardless of your decision, in case you decide to report it at a later date. Make sure you call, because the centre really is very good"

Jess and Rachel both asked a few more questions.

"Thank you so much" Rachel said before the two of them left

Jess got back in the car with Rachel.

"Right where do you want to go? I can drop you home or you can come and stay with me tonight if you'd prefer"

"Please can I stay at your house tonight?"

"Of course you can. Come on, put your seat belt on. Let's go"

Jess put her seat belt on before Rachel pulled out of the space.

"I will tell my Mum about what happened but I just can't face it today"

"That's fine. Just tell her in your own time and I can be there when you tell her if you like"

"Thank you. I wish I found it easier to tell my Mum things, I was so annoyed at myself for not being able to tell her"

"I know speaking to your parent's about things can be hard. But just remember that your Mum and Dad both love you so much and you've got nothing to be afraid of when you tell them anything"

Rachel drove home and Jess went up to Lexie and they spoke about what happened at the hospital.

Rachel was so pleased that Jess had spoken to both her and Lexie about the rape and that she wasn't keeping it to herself. She knew Jess had a long road ahead of her but she'd been really brave today.

**Please review xxx **


	16. Chapter 16

**Planning to do a few light hearted holiday updates but got a bigger storyline planned for after that. **

**1 month later **

Rachel's alarm brought her out of a very light sleep. She couldn't believe it could be time to get up already.

Last night they'd stayed in a hotel near the airport. They were off on holiday today and their flight was early so they'd decided it would be best to get a hotel for the night.

Rachel was regretting the decision though as their room had been boiling hot all night meaning that Rachel, Eddie, Daisy and Michael had all had a bad night's sleep. She hoped that Lexie and Olivia who had slept in a different room had slept better.

Rachel got out of bed quietly and went for a shower before returning to wake Eddie. They were being as quiet as possible to give Daisy and Michael as much sleep as possible. It wasn't going to be an easy flight with two tired children.

Once she had some clothes on she went to knock on the door to Lexie and Olivia's room.

Lexie came and opened the door, still looking very sleepy.

"It's time to get up now"

"Yeah we know. The alarm keeps going off but we keep snoozing it"

"How did you sleep?"

"Awfully. It was way too hot"

"Same here, maybe we should have just slept at home. Anyway, make sure you get up now and you're in reception by 6"

"Yeah we will be"

Rachel went back to her room to get herself ready, as well as Daisy and Michael.

After checking they had everything, they headed to reception where Angela, Sam and Mia were waiting.

They were all going to Corfu and staying in a villa together for 10 days.

When it got to 6 and Olivia and Lexie still weren't out, Rachel went to check on them.

Olivia let her into the room.

"We're nearly ready" Olivia said however both of their suitcases were still undone

"Come on girls, the taxi will be here soon"

Rachel helped them pack up the last of their stuff before rushing to reception where the others were starting to load their cases into the taxi's.

Once everything was loaded they got into the taxi's and headed to the airport.

Check-in had opened by the time they arrived so they checked in straight away. Rachel always did feel relieved to get rid of the luggage.

"Right, shall we head through security and then grab some breakfast?" Rachel suggested

"Sounds good to me" Angela replied

Angela had seemed a bit quiet and not really herself last night and she still seemed the same today. Rachel wondered if she and Sam had had a fight as she knew things weren't exactly good between the two of them at the moment.

"Is everything okay?" Rachel asked her friend quietly on the way to security

"Yeah fine" Angela replied unconvincingly "I'm just tired after last night"

"Tell me about it. Michael and Daisy are so tired and I'm really not looking forward to the plane journey with them"

"Hopefully they'll sleep"

"Yeah hopefully"

Luckily the security queues weren't too big so it didn't take long for them all to get through.

They found a restaurant and went in and ordered some breakfast.

Daisy didn't seem too tired anymore however Michael was and insisted on sitting on Rachel's lap through the whole of breakfast. He'd really taken a liking to her.

It was obvious Lexie, Olivia and Mia were really tired too as they weren't speaking much.

"Right, our gate will probably be opening soon so let's head to the loo" Rachel said after a while of being in the restaurant

"I don't need to go Rachel" Daisy said

"I'm sure you do, you've had lots to drink. It's best to go before we get on the plane, come on let's go"

Rachel and Angela headed to the toilets with the girls and Michael whilst Eddie and Sam waited at the table.

Rachel and Olivia came out first and started washing their hands.

"You okay love? You've been very quiet this morning"

"Yeah I'm just so tired"

"Try and have a sleep on the plane"

"Yeah I will"

Once they were all out they headed back to the table. Their gate was soon announced after that so they headed towards it.

On the plane they had three rows of three but the rows weren't very close to each other.

Rachel was sat on a row with Angela and Daisy.

"Rachel how long before we're taking off?" Daisy asked

"Hopefully not too much longer now love. We were meant to take off fifteen minutes ago"

It was another fifteen minutes before they did actually take off. Rachel was relieved to be up in the air, she just wanted to get there now.

"I'm going to try and get some sleep" Angela said once they'd taken off

"Are you going to do the same Dais? I think I will"

"I don't feel tired though"

"I think you will once you close your eyes. Rest your head against me, come on" Rachel said really hoping Daisy would drop off

It took a while for Daisy to settle but she did end up falling asleep for about 2 hours. Rachel even managed to get some more sleep too, on and off for 2 hours.

Daisy suddenly woke up when they hit a bit of turbulence.

"Rachel my tummy feels funny. Why is the plane so bouncy?"

"We're going through a bit of turbulence, hopefully it will stop soon"

The turbulence seemed to get worse though and it wasn't long before the seatbelt sign went on.

"Rachel I need a wee" Daisy said quietly

"Well I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about that now. You'll have to wait until the seatbelt sign goes off"

"I really need to go though"

"Hopefully the seatbelt sign will be turned off soon"

Twenty minutes passed and the seatbelt sign was still on. Daisy was becoming more and more desperate so was getting really fidgety.

"Rachel I don't think I can hold on much longer" Daisy said sounding a bit worried

"Just try your best. There's really not much I can do about it"

After five minutes Daisy and Rachel were both extremely relieved when the seatbelt sign was turned off.

They both stood up immediately and joined the queue that had already formed for the toilet.

Luckily it didn't take long before it was Daisy's turn. Rachel went in with her as Daisy didn't like going into aeroplane loos on her own as the flush was so loud.

Daisy went for a wee but felt a bit embarrassed as she'd had a bit of an accident.

She didn't want to tell Rachel as she felt really embarrassed about it but realised she didn't really have a choice.

"Rachel my knickers are wet" Daisy said feeling embarrassed

"Don't worry love, it's not your fault. I brought my bag in just in case and I've got some spare knickers in there for you"

"You won't tell anyone will you?"

"Of course I won't. There's no need for anyone else to know, is there"

Daisy quickly changed her knickers before Rachel went to the loo and then the two of them went back to their seats.

After another two hours they landed in Corfu.

They collected their luggage and then went to pick up the hire cars.

This took quite a while and the kids were all getting fed up.

Eventually they got into the cars and drove to their villa which was about an hour from the airport.

Lexie, Olivia, Daisy and Michael had all fallen asleep by the time they arrived.

Rachel was deciding whether to wake them or let them sleep for longer but they started to stir anyway once the car stopped.

"Are we there yet?" Daisy asked sleepily

"Yep, we're at the villa. It looks lovely"

They got out of the car and the owner of the villa let them in. They had a look around. It seemed like the perfect place for a relaxing 10 days and they were all really excited.

After having a look around they got all of their stuff out of the car.

Rachel and Angela spoke to the owner of the villa for a while before going up to get sorted.

When she got upstairs she bumped into Olivia who was about to go in the bathroom.

"Hang on a sec Liv" Rachel said "make sure you don't put any toilet roll down the toilet because the pipes over here can't handle it and they'll get blocked"

"What are we meant to do with the toilet roll then?"

"There's a bin to put it in"

"Eugh that's gross"

"I know it's a bit different to what we're used to but I'm sure it will be fine. We'll empty them everyday, it will be fine"

Olivia then dashed into the toilet as she was desperate and Rachel realised she'd better tell everyone else before someone went to the loo without realising.

They got a bit sorted but then decided to go out for a late lunch as everyone was really hungry. It was quite late, especially because of the 2 hour time difference.

Once everyone was changed, they walked into the village which was about a 10 minute walk away.

They chose a restaurant quickly as everyone was getting a bit hungry and grumpy.

"We need to go food shopping so shall we go Ang?" Rachel suggested once they'd eaten

"Yeah that's fine with me"

"What are you going to do with the kids? Go to the beach or head back to the villa?" Rachel asked Eddie and Sam

Eddie asked the kids what they wanted to do and they wanted to go to the beach for a bit. Luckily they'd brought beach stuff with them.

After having lunch, Rachel and Angela went back to the villa and then drove to a supermarket.

They got lots of food before heading back to the villa to put it away.

Eddie, Sam and the kids weren't back from the beach yet so Rachel thought now would be a good time to finish unpacking.

She unpacked before heading back to the pool ready to lie on a sun lounger for a while.

Rachel was expecting Angela to be by the pool still so was surprised when she wasn't. It didn't take her long to spot her up on the terrace that was out of the way of the pool area.

Rachel went up on the terrace and was surprised when she found Angela in tears.

"Ang, what's happened?" Rachel asked as she sat down next to her

"Oh it's nothing, don't worry about me"

"It's not nothing. I could tell something was up last night. What's going on?"

"Oh Rach I don't even know where to begin. I've done such a bad thing"

Rachel was worried about why her friend was so upset. She put her hand on her friend's arm.

"I'm here for you, whatever it is you've done. And I'm sure it can't be that bad"

"It is. I had an abortion this week" Angela admitted

Rachel was in shock.

"That's a really tough decision you and Sam had to make" Rachel said not really understanding why Angela would have had an abortion and not gone through with the pregnancy

"Sam wasn't involved with the decision Rach because the baby wasn't his. I've been having an affair so I couldn't keep the baby. Not if I've got any chance of saving my marriage"

Now Rachel really was in shock but she knew now wasn't the time to show this.

"How do you know the baby wasn't Sam's?"

"Because it wasn't possible. We haven't slept together in over 2 months"

"Oh Ang, I had no idea things were this bad between the two of you. When did the affair start?"

"About 3 months ago but I've ended it now. I work with him and he was giving me attention, something Sam wasn't and it was making me feel good. I know how wrong it is Rach but at the time I didn't even care"

"Why didn't you tell me about any of this huh?"

"Because I'm so ashamed. I never thought I'd be a cheater yet here I am"

"Are you still seeing him?"

"No I ended it when I realised I was pregnant. I have to think of Mia and I don't want her going through her parent's getting divorced. I know me and Sam are having issues but I really hope we can get through them"

"Does Sam know about the baby?"

"No and he doesn't know about the affair either, you won't tell him will you?"

"Of course I won't. I wish you'd told me all about this sooner though, I would have been there for you. How are you feeling now? Having an... abortion couldn't have been easy"

"It was so horrible Rach. But I just knew it was what I had to do. I do feel bad, Mia has always wanted a little brother or sister but these definitely weren't the right circumstances for that"

"How far along were you?"

"Only a few weeks. I knew straight away, I had exactly the same symptoms as I had with Mia so I could just tell I was pregnant before I'd even done the test. Do you think I'm a terrible person?"

"Of course I don't Ang. What you and Sam have is definitely worth fighting for. You did what you had to do for your marriage, I completely get that"

"Thank you"

"What for?"

"For being so understanding. I was so worried you'd hate me for getting rid of a baby when your chances of conceiving are... well you know slim"

"You know I'd never hate you. You have the right to decide what you want to do with your body and my circumstances don't need to impact that whatsoever"

"I still hate myself for what I've done. I keep thinking about the life I've just destroyed, I can't stop imagining what he or she would have looked like and thinking about life with two children. Mia would have been the best big sister"

"Maybe once you've sorted things with Sam properly, the two of you could try for a baby"

"No I can't see Sam wanting that and I don't think I really want to go back to the baby days again. I'll be fine, I just need some time"

"You will be fine but I'm here for you whenever you need me. Are things still really bad between you and Sam?"

"They're still not good but I had a really honest conversation with him a couple of days ago and told him exactly how I feel. I think we're going to try some marriage counselling when we get home"

"That's a really good start, telling Sam how you feel"

"I know. Sam was so upset when he realised how I'm feeling"

"Which shows he still cares about you"

"I know"

Angela felt a lot better after telling Rachel. Normally Angela and Rachel told each other everything, but this was something Angela had been so ashamed of so hadn't wanted anyone finding out.

"Right, I think it's time we had a glass of wine" Rachel said after the two women had chatted for a while

"I think you're right there"

Rachel went and poured two glasses of wine and then the two of them went and sat by the pool for a bit. It wasn't too much longer before Eddie and Sam arrived back with all of the kids.

"How was the beach?" Angela asked

"Amazing. The water is so clear" Mia replied

It sounded like they'd all had a really good time at the beach and were excited to go back tomorrow with Rachel and Angela.

"Rachel can I go in the swimming pool?" Daisy asked

"Yep. Thank you for asking. Make sure you always tell an adult before you go in, and you too Michael"

"I will" Michael said

Daisy and Michael got straight in the swimming pool but Lexie, Olivia and Mia decided to go up for showers.

After finishing her glass of wine Rachel went inside to get another.

She decided to go in and check on Olivia as she hadn't spoken to her much since they'd arrived.

Rachel went into her room and Olivia had just got out of the shower so was wrapped in a towel.

"Rachel, I've burnt a bit today"

"Oh have you. Where?"

Olivia showed Rachel the red lines she had on her chest above her bikini line where she must have missed putting sun cream.

"That's probably because you put sun cream on when you had your bikini on, it's easy to miss patches when you do that. If you rub your sun cream in before you put your bikini on tomorrow, then you can make sure you get everywhere"

"Okay I will"

"Have you had a good time so far?"

"Yeah really good thank you, it's so nice here"

"It is, isn't it. Are you happy having a room all to yourself? I'm sure you could all swap around so you aren't on your own the whole time"

"I don't mind, I like it. It's better than having to share a room with Daisy"

"Well as long as you like it. Anyway, I'll leave you to get dressed"

After checking on Olivia, Rachel went back outside with the drinks. She was so pleased to have arrived and be relaxing in the sun with her best friends and family.

By the time Rachel and Angela had had 2 glasses of wine each, Rachel realised it was time they got some food sorted because she was starting to feel quite tipsy.

"Daisy, Michael time to get out now" Rachel said to Daisy and Michael who were still having great fun in the swimming pool

"Can we have a bit longer?" Daisy asked hopefully

"No you need to get out now and get dressed so then we can eat"

After a bit of moaning Daisy and Michael climbed out so Rachel wrapped towels around them both.

"I know you wanted to stay in longer but you're going to be able to go in the pool loads more, it's only our first day still"

Lexie and Mia offered to shower and dress Daisy and Michael which Rachel was really grateful for because it meant she could help Angela get some food sorted.

"Do you want me to help you Rachel?" Olivia offered

"No don't worry love. You stay and enjoy the sunshine"

They decided to get out some picky bits for tea as they'd had a big lunch so no one was that hungry.

Rachel was in the middle of cutting up some French stick when Daisy ran into the kitchen looking worried.

"Rachel I need to tell you something"

"Okay what is it love?"

"I only want you to know"

"Okay, let's go outside then"

Rachel went out with Daisy wondering what was up.

"I completely forgot that we're not meant to flush the toilet roll and I just did" Daisy said sounding really worried

"That's okay, I'm sure it won't hurt as a one off. Just try not to forget again"

"Okay"

"You had me worried then, I thought it was going to be something much worse"

"It is bad though because you said the pipes will get blocked if we put toilet roll in the toilet"

"Well like I said, a little bit won't hurt but just try not to do it again"

"I'll remember next time"

Daisy then went upstairs for her shower so Rachel went back to preparing the food.

Once the food was ready, they all sat around the table and ate together.

Rachel could tell that things between Sam and Angela didn't seem right but she hoped they'd all still have a nice holiday.

It really did feel nice to finally have arrived in Greece. They'd had it booked for a while now and everyone had been really excited. Rachel smiled as she looked at Lexie, Olivia, Daisy and Michael who all seemed to be having a really good time already.

**Please review and let me know if you have any ideas for the holiday xx**


	17. Chapter 17

They'd been in Greece for a few days now and everyone was having a great time. Lexie was especially grateful to be there as she'd never been abroad before and felt so lucky.

Everyone was getting ready to go to the beach for the morning but Daisy was still sleeping. It was unusual for Daisy to wake up so late but she'd had a few late nights so it was understandable that she was having a bit of a lie in.

Rachel realised she would have to go and wake her as everyone else was waiting to leave, even if she did feel a bit mean doing it.

Daisy was fast asleep when Rachel went in so she went over and sat by her on the bed and gently started stroking her hair.

"Daisy, it's time to wake up" Rachel said but Daisy didn't stir

Daisy was in a really deep sleep and it took a while to get her to wake up. Once Daisy was awake she slowly sat up in bed before cuddling into Rachel. She looked all sleepy and really did look very cute.

"Sorry to wake you up love but everyone's waiting to go to the beach"

"What time is it?"

"It's 9:30"

"I never wake up that late"

"I know, you must be very tired after the late nights you've been having"

Daisy did a big stretch.

"That hair is going to take some brushing missus" Rachel said looking at Daisy's crazy bed hair

Daisy looked at her reflection in the mirror and started giggling.

"Anyway, are you ready to get up now?" Rachel asked once Daisy had woken up a bit more

Daisy nodded before getting out of bed.

"I'll rub your sun cream in and then you can put your swimsuit on"

"I need a wee first"

"Okay love, go on then"

Daisy started getting some pyjamas out as she'd only been sleeping in knickers as it was so hot.

"What are you doing?"

"Putting my pyjamas on"

"Just go as you are, it doesn't matter if someone sees you in your knickers and you probably won't see anyone anyway"

"Fine" Daisy said before rushing off to the loo

Once Daisy was sorted Rachel sent her down to quickly have some breakfast.

She then went to tell Olivia it was time to go as she was in her room.

"Liv, we're leaving in ten minutes"

"Okay"

Olivia had woken up not feeling too great so was hoping she would feel better soon as she didn't want to waste a day of the holiday feeling poorly.

Olivia picked up her bag before following Rachel downstairs.

Daisy had a croissant and some fruit for breakfast and once she was ready they all headed to the beach.

They found a good spot before getting all of their stuff out.

Olivia laid her towel out on the sand before lying down.

She had a stomach ache and it was really sore. She wished she'd asked Rachel for some paracetamol earlier as she didn't want to ask now in front of everyone.

They'd been there for about half an hour when Lexie and Mia decided to go paddle boarding.

"You ready to go paddle boarding now Liv?" Lexie asked

"Yep okay" Olivia replied as she sat up but she was actually feeling really rubbish

Olivia was going too and had been really looking forward to spending some time just the three of them but now she really didn't feel like it because she wasn't feeling very well.

"Make sure you're sensible girls and you keep your life jackets on the whole time" Rachel said

"We will"

"Please can I go too Rachel?" Daisy asked

"No you know it's just the big girls going this morning. I promise you can have a go another time though"

"But I want to go now" Daisy said sulkily

"The answer is no Daisy. Me and Eddie are going to take you and Michael kayaking another day"

Daisy was a bit disappointed to not be going but didn't put up too much of a fuss.

The girls headed down to where all the paddle boards were and hired one each.

They'd been doing it for about half an hour and Lexie and Mia were really enjoying it, even though they had ended up falling off quite a few times

Olivia on the other hand wasn't having such a good time. Her stomach was feeling even worse so she'd spent most of the time just sitting on her paddle board. She decided she didn't want to stay on any longer.

"I think I'm going to go back now"

"How come?" Mia asked "we still have another half an hour to go"

"I know, but I really don't feel very well"

"That's a shame Liv, shall I take your photo first though? We haven't taken any yet" Lexie asked

"Okay" Olivia said so Lexie took some photos on the GoPro

Olivia stayed for a few photos but then really wanted to go back.

"Do you want me to come back in with you?" Lexie offered

"No it's okay"

"We'll see you in a bit then"

Olivia took her paddle board back before heading back to where the adults were sat on the beach.

"How come you've come back early Liv? I thought you were hiring them for an hour"

"I've just had enough. Mia and Lexie are still on them"

Rachel felt a bit concerned so went over to speak to Olivia quietly, knowing she wouldn't want a fuss made in front of everyone.

"What's up Liv?"

"I've got a really bad tummy ache"

"Oh have you, that's a shame you've been really looking forward to going paddle boarding"

"I know"

"Do you want some paracetamol?" Rachel asked knowing Olivia's stomach ache must be really bad as she'd stopped paddle boarding early

"Yes please"

"I'll go and get some out of my bag, you wait there darling"

Olivia took the paracetamol and then she laid on Rachel's sun lounger.

Once their time was up on the paddle boards Lexie and Mia came back.

"How was that girls?" Angela asked

"It was so good. We really want to go again" Mia replied

"I kind of fancy having a go too. Maybe I'll come with you next time" Rachel said

"That is something I do not want to miss" Eddie said laughing

"What's so funny about me paddle boarding?"

"I just can't wait to see you try to balance"

"It can't be that hard" Rachel said but really she knew she was probably going to find it quite difficult

After spending the morning on the beach, they went to a restaurant for some lunch before heading back to the villa.

The kids all went in the pool but Olivia wasn't feeling very well still so laid on a sun lounger instead.

She ended up falling asleep for a while and when she woke up she wasn't in a very good mood at all.

Everything anyone said was winding Olivia up and she kept snapping. She was being a bit horrible to Daisy and even ended up having a fall out with Lexie, which was very unusual for the pair of them.

Everyone felt like they were walking on eggshells around Olivia.

Daisy was upset about her sister being mean to her so decided to ask her to go in the swimming pool with her hoping they'd have fun together like they normally did.

Daisy climbed out of the pool and went over to Olivia.

"Please will you come in the pool now Liv?" Daisy asked

"No, just piss off will you" Olivia said rolling her eyes

Rachel heard this and felt really angry.

"Hey don't you dare talk to your sister like that, or anyone for that matter" Rachel shouted

"Sorry" Olivia said although it didn't sound like she meant it one bit

"I think you should go and spend a bit of time in your room Olivia"

"Why do I have to do that"

"I just think you could do with a bit of time on your own"

"Why should I? It's my holiday too"

"Because nobody wants to be around you right now to be flaming honest" Rachel said

Olivia went off in tears after Rachel said this.

Rachel did feel a bit bad for saying what she had but Olivia's attitude had been awful all afternoon and Rachel had struggled to stay calm any longer.

"Sorry about that" Rachel said once Olivia was out of ear shot

"You don't have to be sorry Rach, I know exactly what it's like having a teenager, well nearly teenager" Angela said

"I shouldn't have said what I just did though. I'm going to go and check on her, see if there's a reason behind her terrible mood"

Rachel went up to Olivia's room and found her in floods of tears on her bed.

"I'm sorry for saying what I just did" Rachel said but she didn't get a response from Olivia

"It's just you have been in an awful mood this afternoon which is why I suggested you come up to your room to calm down a bit and have some space rather than taking it out on everyone else"

"Maybe I'll just spend the rest of the holiday in my room then if no one wants to be around me"

"No that's not what I meant and you know it. Look, everyone gets in a mood sometimes and that's fine but sometimes you need to realise that the best thing to do is to take yourself away for a little while"

"Fine I'll stay up here"

"Just try and have a nap or something and then come back down a bit later"

Rachel moved so she was standing next to Olivia.

"Everyone does want to be around you Liv, just not when you're biting everyone's heads off"

"Okay" Olivia said but she felt really mad at Rachel

"I'll see you soon" Rachel said before walking out

Olivia started crying even more once Rachel had left. She didn't understand why she was feeling like this.

Eventually, Olivia cried herself to sleep and didn't wake up for another hour.

When she woke up, she realised she needed the loo so headed to the bathroom.

Olivia couldn't believe it when she saw the blood on her bikini bottoms. She couldn't believe she'd come on her period whilst on holiday.

Part of Olivia wanted to go and get Rachel because she needed some pads but she felt too embarrassed after being so horrible to everyone earlier so didn't want to go down.

Instead, Olivia went back to her room, got changed and laid on her bed and started to sob again. She'd only had a couple of periods so it was still a really big thing for her especially with being on holiday.

Rachel realised Olivia had been up in her room for over 2 hours now so decided to go and check on her.

She felt so sorry for Olivia when she found her looking so upset. She looked so young lying there with tears rolling down her face.

Rachel went straight over and started stroking Olivia's back.

"Oh Liv, please don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you, honestly I didn't"

"It's my fault. I don't know why I was being so horrid earlier, I just couldn't help it"

"It's because of your hormones love, they're all over the place at the moment. I know it's horrible feeling like it but there's nothing you can do to control your feelings I'm afraid. Do you see why I suggested coming upstairs to spend a bit of time on your own now?"

Olivia nodded her head.

"Did you manage to have a sleep?"

"Yeah for about an hour. I feel awful for how I was earlier"

"It's okay love, we all have our moments sometimes. Why don't you come down and go in the pool for a bit?"

"No I don't feel like going swimming"

"Well just come and sit with me outside then"

"Can I go in the lounge and put a film on?"

"Of course you can, if that's what you want"

Olivia nodded her head.

"Come on then sweetheart" Rachel said before standing up

"Rachel"

"Yes love"

"Actually it doesn't matter"

"You sure?"

Olivia nodded. She wanted to tell Rachel about her period but suddenly felt all embarrassed about it.

"How's your stomach now?"

"Really hurting again"

"Do you want some more paracetamol?"

"Yes please"

Rachel and Olivia went downstairs and Olivia put a film on. She was surprised when Mia and Lexie came in a couple of minutes later to join her.

Olivia felt embarrassed to start with but she apologised and Lexie and Mia were really nice about it.

After the film had finished Angela called them outside to eat.

When Olivia stood up she noticed that she'd left a red patch on the blanket she'd been sat on so immediately sat back down again.

"Aren't you coming?" Lexie asked

"Can you just get Rachel for me?" Olivia asked feeling really worried

Lexie was confused but did as Olivia asked.

Rachel came straight in.

"Are you not hungry love is your stomach still really bad?"

"No well yes it is but that's not why I don't want to eat"

"Okay why don't you want to eat then?"

Olivia didn't say anything because she felt really embarrassed.

"Don't worry, nobody will say anything about earlier. It will be fine, let's go outside come on"

"No I can't" Olivia said before standing up and bursting into tears

Rachel saw the blood so realised what Olivia was so upset about now.

"Oh love did you get your period?"

Olivia nodded her head.

"Come on, let's go and get you sorted"

"What about the blood on the sofa? Everyone's going to see it"

"I'll put the blanket in the wash and no-one will know anything about it, don't worry"

Olivia followed Rachel up to her room.

"Right I packed some pads for you. You haven't had a period for ages now so I was kind of expecting you might come on while we're here, as annoying as it is"

"It's not fair. I won't be able to go swimming for ages"

"I know it's rubbish timing. I'm sure we can sort something so you can still go swimming though"

"I hate being a girl"

"Oh sweetheart, it will be okay. You go and get sorted, I'll wait here for you" Rachel said knowing Olivia would be nervous about going downstairs

Olivia went and got changed and put a pad on before returning to Rachel's room.

"You ready to go downstairs now?"

"I guess"

Rachel and Olivia went outside and sat at the table.

Olivia was feeling upset about everything still but started feeling a bit happier being downstairs with everyone.

After they'd eaten, they got cleared up ready to enjoy the rest of the evening.

"Me and Mia are going to go and sit up on the terrace for a bit Liv. Do you want to come with us?" Lexie asked

Rachel had told Lexie about Olivia's period so thought she could do with a bit of cheering up.

"I think I'm just going to stay here, thank you though" Olivia replied as she just felt like staying with Rachel at the minute

"Okay you know where we are if you change your mind though"

Lexie and Mia went up and sat on the terrace. There were fairly lights and they could see the sea from up there so it really was very pretty.

"What are you smiling at?" Mia asked Lexie who was looking at her phone

"Just Matt" Lexie said before putting her phone down

"How are things going with you two?"

"Really good actually. I'm already excited to see him again, it feels like it's been ages"

"Have you slept together yet?"

Lexie shook her head.

"No we were going to but with everything that happened to Jess, it kind of put me off"

"I get why that put you off. Matt seems lovely though and not a jerk like Ryan James"

"Yeah I know. We're just going to wait and see when the time feels right I think"

"You'll know when it feels right" Mia said

Lexie nodded but then thought about what Mia had said.

"Wait have you had sex?"

Mia gave a guilty smile and nodded.

"When? With who?"Lexie asked surprised because as far as she was aware Mia didn't have a boyfriend

"It was a couple of weeks ago now. Mum and Dad were both working and Ben came over and things kind of just happened"

Mia had been close friends with Ben since year 7.

"You're always flirting with each other, I knew you were going to end up getting together. Did it hurt?"

"Yeah quite a bit the first time and for like a day after but it doesn't hurt anymore"

"How many times have you slept with him?"

"Quite a few now" Lexie said laughing

"Does your Mum know?"

"No I'm sure she'll figure it out eventually" Mia said and Lexie laughed

"Are you properly together now or have you just got a friends with benefits thing going on then?"

"We're together but we're just keeping it quiet for now"

"I can't believe you didn't tell me before"

"I haven't told anyone. I couldn't really believe it happened to be honest. I know me and Ben have always been close but I didn't know he liked me in that way"

"I did"

"I think I'm going to tell Mum soon. She's just seemed really preoccupied recently"

"Is she okay? She's seemed really quiet and not herself at some points since we've been here"

Mia shrugged her shoulders.

"I was thinking that too. I know she's been fed up with how much Dad has been working recently but I thought she'd be better now that we're here and Dad isn't at work" Mia said

"She's probably just tired, she's been working more lately too hasn't she?"

"Yeah I guess" Mia replied but she was actually feeling really worried about her Mum and felt there was something going on

Mia and Lexie stayed up on the terrace talking for most of the evening and when they went down the adults were just heading up to bed.

"I was just about to come up to tell you that we're heading up to bed now" Rachel said

"Yeah we're going to bed now too" Lexie replied

"Have you had a nice evening?"

"Yeah really good thanks"

"What were you doing up there?"

"Just talking"

Rachel thought it looked like Mia had been crying but didn't say anything.

They all said goodnight before heading to their bedrooms to go to sleep.


End file.
